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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

' - BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 

BULLETIN 64 



THE MAYA INDIANS OF SOUTHERN YUCATAN 
AND NORTHERN BRITISH HONDURAS 



BY 



THOMAS W. F. GANN 







WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE; 
• 1918 



Collected set. 






0. Of il. 
AUG 13 19|9 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



Washington, D. C, November 4, 1916. 
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith the manuscript of a 
memoir entitled "The Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and 
Northern British Honduras," by Thomas W. F. Gann, and to recom- 
mend its publication as a bulletin of the Bureau of American 
Ethnology. 

Very respectfully, 

F. W. Hodge, 
Ethnologist-in- Charge. 
Hon. Charles D. Walcott, 

Secretary, Smithsonian Institution. 



CONTENTS 



Part 1. Customs, Ceremonies, and Mode of Life 

Page 

Introduction 13 

Habitat 14 

Personal characteristics 15 

Dress i 18 

Industrial activities 20 

Agriculture 20 

Procuring food ; cooking 21 

Hunting 23 

Fishing 25 

Construction of houses and furniture 26 

Pottery making ; 28 

Boat building 28 

Spinning and weaving 29 

Minor industries 30 

Tobacco curing 30 

Basket and mat weaving 30 

Social characteristics 32 

Villages 32 

Marriage and children 32 

Drunkenness 34 

( 'hiefs : 35 

Diseases and medicines 36 

Games 39 

Religion 40 

Part 2. Mound Excavation in the Eastern Maya Area 

Introduction 49 

Classification of the mounds 49 

Ancient inhabitants of the region 51 

Physical appearance 51 

Dress 52 

Weapons 52 

Houses 53 

Arts 53 

Musical instruments 54 

Food 55 

Spinning and weaving 55 

Games 56 

Religion 56 

Chronology 58 

Description of mounds 59 

Mound No. 1 59 

Mound No. 2 63 

Mound No. 3 65 

Mound No. 4 67 

Mound No. 5 70 

5 



6 CONTENTS 

Description of mounds — Continued. Page 

Mound No. 5 A 72 

Mound No. 6 74 

Mound No. 6 A 78 

Mound No. 7 79 

Mound No. 8 80 

Mound No. 9 83 

Mound No. 10 86 

Mound No. 11 90 

Mound No. 12 92 

Mound No 13 99 

Mound No. 14 99 

Mound No. 15 103 

Mound No. 16 105 

Mound No. 17 109 

Mound No. 18 .' Ill 

Mound No. 19 112 

Mound No. 20 112 

Mound No. 21 „ 1 14 

Mound No. 22 115 

Mound No. 23 116 

Mound No. 24 118 

Mound No. 25 120 

Mound No. 26 123 

Mound No. 27 '. 124 

Mound No. 28 124 

Mound No. 29 125 

Mound No. 30 125 

Mound No. 31 128 

Mound No. 32 129 

Mound No. 33 130 

Mound No. 34 132 

Mound No. 35 133 

Mound No. 36 134 

Mound No. 37 134 

Mound No. 38 134 

Mound No. 39 135 

Mound No. 40 136 

Mound No. 41 137 

Two painted stucco faces from Uxmal 140 

Authorities cited 143 

Index 145 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PLATES Page 

1. Group of Santa Cruz Indians 18 

2. Maya girls fishing 26 

3. Fish drying on one of the cays off the coast of Yucatan 26 

4. Maya Indian houses, a. Leaf-thatched house, b. Indian house on Rio 

Hondo 26 

5. Maya woman, 105 years old, spinning cotton 29 

6. Maya loom 29 

7. Sketch map of British Honduras, with adjacent parts of Yucatan and Guate- 

mala, indicating the positions of mounds excavated 59 

8. Figurines of warriors from Mound No. 1 60 

9. Figurines from Mound No. 1 60 

10. a. Section through earthwork inclosing circular space, Santa Rita. b. Sec- 

tion of wall through Santa Rita 70 

11. Egg-shaped vase from Mound No. 5 70 

12. Metates and brazos from Mound No. 6 75 

13. a. Small pottery seal. b. Bowl in which skull was found, c. Skull 75 

14. Skull and bones from Mound No. 8 80 

15. Stone objects from Mound No. 10 88 

16. a. Model of jadeite bivalve shell, b. Light-green j ad eite mask. c. Ax head, 

or celt. d. Terra-cotta cylinder 91 

17.' Painted basin and cover from Mound No\ 16 105 

18: Pottery from Mound No. 16 , 107 

19. a. Decoration on vase shown in figure 60. b. Decoration of vessel from 

Mound No. 17 110 

20. Incense burner from Mound No. 24 119 

21. a. Small vase decorated with human head. b. Human bones from Mound 

No. 29 125 

22! Painted clay figurine from Mound No. 33 131 

23. Pottery vase from Yalloch, Guatemala 142 

24. Pottery vase from Yalloch, Guatemala 142 

25. Pottery vase from Yalloch, Guatemala 142 

26. Pottery cylinder from Yalloch, Guatemala 142 

27. Pottery cylinder from Yalloch, Guatemala 142 

28. Pottery cylinder from Yalloch, Guatemala 142 

TEXT FIGURES 

1. Map showing Yucatan, Campeche, British Honduras, and part of Guatemala. 14 

2. Gold earrings made and worn by the Santa Cruz Indians 19 

3. Cross of tancasche bark worn by children 19 

4. Powder horn and measure of bamboo used by the Indians 23 

5. Watertight box for caps, matches, or tinder, with corncob stopper 23 

6. Whistle for attracting deer by imitating their call 24 

7 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



7. Indian carrying load of bejuco, a liana used as rope in house building 26 

8. Domestic altar 27 

9. Stonelike substance used to prevent fingers from sticking while spinning. . 29 

10. Calabash with liana base used in spinning 30 

11. ( Jhichanha Indian priest in front of altar at Cha chac ceremony 43 

12. Priest tracing cross on cake and fdling it in with sikil 44 

13. Sacrificing a turkey at the Cha chac ceremony 45 

14. Plan of Santa Rita mounds >. 59 

15. Figurine from Mound No. 1 00 

16. Figurines from Mound No. 1 61 

17. Unpainted object from Mound No. 1 62 

18. Clay alligator found in Mound No. 2 64 

19. Objects from Mound No. 4 68 

20. Pottery vessels from Mound No. 4 69 

21. Objects found in Mound No. 5 71 

22. Diagram of Mound No. 6 74 

23. Diagram of trenches in Mound No. 6 76 

24. Bowls, vases, and dishes found in Mound No. 6 77 

25. a. Skull, b. Limestone foundation, c. Excavation, d. Grooved flag in 

situ. e. Projecting lip 78 

26. Circular openings leading into natural cavity 80 

27. Ground plan of chultun 82 

28. Ground plan of Mound No. 9 84 

29. Wall construction of Mound No. 9 84 

30. Details of Mound No. 9 85 

31. Obsidian object and pottery vase from Mound No. 10 87 

32. Obsidian arrowhead from Mound No. 10 89 

33. Flint object from Mound No. 10 89 

34. Obsidian object from Mound No. 10 90 

35. Inscription on mask, plate 16, b 91 

36. Inscription on ax head, plate 16, c 92 

37. Flint spearheads 94 

38. Flint objects 94 

39. Devices scratched on stucco in aboriginal building 95 

40. Eccentrically shaped implements found at summit of mound 96 

41. Flint object found at base of stela 96 

42. Flint object found at base of stela 96 

43. Flints found in ruins at Naranjo 97 

44. Objects from Benque Viejo 98 

45. Obsidian objects found in a mound near Benque Viejo 99 

46. Flint object from Seven Hills 100 

47. Horseshoe-shaped flint object found near San Antonio 100 

48. Figure from River Thames, near London 101 

49. Flint objects from Tennessee 102 

50. Flint objects from Italy 103 

51. Small cup-shaped vase from Mound No. 15 104 

52. Objects from Mound No. 15 104 

53. Conventionalized representation of bird on vessel shown in plate 17 106 

54. Decoration on vessel shown in plate 17 106 

55. Perforated beads found in Mound No. 16 107 

56. Jadeite beads found in Mound No. 16 107 

57. a. Circular shell disks from Mound No. 16. b. Greenstone ear plugs from 

Mound No. 17 , 108 

58. Obsidian disk inserted in tooth of skeleton found in Mound No. 17 109 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

59. Bird carrying a fish outlined on shallow plaque found in Mound No. 17 . . . 110 

60. Cylindrical pottery vase found in Mound No. 17 110 

61 . Larger pottery vase found in Mound No. 17 Ill 

62. Coiled plumed serpent painted on plaque found in Mound No. 17 Ill 

63. Pottery vase found in Mound No. 18 112 

64. Glyph outlined on outer surface of rim of vase shown in figure 63 112 

65. Torso, head, and headdress from Mound No. 20 113, 

66. Fragment of pillar found in Mound No. 20 113 

67. Another view of incense burner shown in plate 20 119 

68. Incense burner decorated with crude clay figurine from Mound No. 25 120 

69. Crude clay figurine found in Mound No. 25 121 

70. Crude clay figurine found in Mound No. 25 122 

71. Small pottery vases found in Mound No. 26 123 

72. Red pottery vase found in Mound No. 27 ] 24 

73. Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 31 128 

74. Chocolate pot found in Mound No. 31 128 

75. Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 32 129 

76. Head cut from limestone found in Mound No. 32 130 

77. Greenstone mask found in Mound No. 32 130 

78. Soapstone lamp found in Mound No. 33 131 

79. Rough pottery vessel found in Mound No. 33 132 

80. Objects found in Mound No. 34 132 

81. Figure in diving position on small vase 133 

82. Design incised on femur of deer found in Mound No. 39 135 

83. Copper object found in Mound No. 39 136 

84. Ruins found in Mound No. 40 '. 137 



KEY TO PRONUNCIATION OF MAYA WORDS 

Vowels and consonants are pronounced as in Spanish, with the 
following exceptions : 

fe k explosive 

K ordinary palatal k 

X sh as in shut 

TS ch explosive 

ts 

Ai like i in confide 

tt t explosive 

11 



THE MAYA INDIANS OF SOUTHERN YUCATAN AND 
NORTHERN BRITISH HONDURAS 



By Thomas W. F. Gann 



PART 1. CUSTOMS, CEREMONIES, AND MODE OF LIFE 



INTRODUCTION 

The southern and eastern parts of Yucatan, from Tuluum in the 
north to the Rio Hondo in the south, are occupied to-day by two 
tribes of Maya Indians, the Santa Cruz and Icaiche or Chichanha. 
The number of Santa Cruz was estimated by Sapper in 1895 at about 
8,000 to 10,000, but at the present day has probably been reduced 
to about 5,000. The Icaiche, the number of whom he estimated at 
500, and is given by the Guia de Yucatan in 1900 as 803, now com- 
prise not more than 200. This decrease is due to the policy of 
extermination carried out among the Santa Cruz for years by the 
Mexican Government, and the consequent emigration of many of 
the Indians to British Honduras, Guatemala, and northern Yucatan. 
The northern and western parts of British Honduras contain between 
5,000 and 6,000 Indians; those in the north are partly indigenous 
and partly immigrants drawn from Yucatecan tribes who have left 
their homes after various political disturbances, especially after the 
occupancy of their towns of Bacalar and Santa Cruz by the Mexican 
Government. The Indians of the western part of the colony are 
also partly indigenous, but for the greater part Itzas, who have come 
in from Peten in Guatemala. 

The objects shown in figures 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 31, 35, 36, 47, 
51, 52, 55, 56, 57, 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, 69, 70, 76, and 77, and in plates 
8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18a, and 19 are in the Liverpool Museum; 
those shown in figures 15, 40, and 41 and in plate 9 are in the British 
Museum; those shown in figure 45 and in plates 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 
and 28 are in the Bristol Museum; and those shown in figures 67 
and 68 and in plates 20, 21, and 22 are in the Museum of the American 
Indian, Heye Foundation. 

13 



HABITAT 



The northern part of British Honduras, between the Rio Hondo 
and the Rio Nuevo, consists of an almost level plain, having an area 
of nearly 1,000 square miles. The soil is a vegetal humus, varying 
from a few inches to several feet in depth, the average depth being 
about 2 feet; beneath this is a stratum of marly limestone, out- 
crops of which are foimd in many places. The southern part of 
Yucatan, which, unlike the northern part, is comparatively well 
watered, is also flat, though a few small hills are found along the 
northern bank of the Rio Hondo, commencing about 50 miles from 

its mouth (fig. 1). Most 
of the land along the rivers 
is swampy, producingonly 
reeds, coarse grasses, and 
mangrove trees. Beyond 
the swamp country are 
found "cuhun ridges," 
consisting of river val- 
leys or depressions in the 
surface which have be- 
come filled with alluvium 
brought down by the 
rivers from the interior, 
forming an exceedingly 
rich soil suitable for the 
cultivation of maize and 
nearly every tropi cal prod- 
uct. It is upon these 
"cuhun ridges " that most 
of the mounds and other 
relics of the ancient in- 
habitants are found and that nearly all the villages of the modern 
Indians are built. Large tracts of what is known as "pine ridge" 
are scattered throughout this area; these are level or slightly undu- 
lating plains covered with gravel and coarse sand — exceedingly poor 
soil, producing only wiry grass, yellow pines, and small pimento 
palms. On these "pine ridges" Indian mounds are hardly ever 
found, nor do the Indians of to-day build villages upon them except 
in rare instances and for special local reasons. With the exception 
of the extreme northern part, nearly the whole of this area is well 
watered by rivers and streams, while scattered, throughout it are 
numerous lagoons and lakes, the largest of which is the Bacalar 
Lagoon. 
14 




Fig. 1. — Map showing Yucatan, Campeche, British Hondu 
ras, and part of Guatemala. The area dealt with is shaded. 



PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 

The manners, customs, religious conceptions, and daily life of all 
these Indians are very similar, though among the Indians of British 
Honduras, who come more closely in contact with outside influences, 
old customs are dying out, and old ideas and methods are being super- 
seded by new. The language of the tribes here considered, with 
slight local dialectical variations, is the same; all are of the same 
physical type; in fact, there can be little doubt that they are the 
direct descendants of those Maya who occupied the peninsula of 
Yucatan at the time of the conquest. Physically, though short they 
are robust and well proportioned. The men average 5 feet 2 
inches to 5 feet 3 inches in height, the women about 2 inches less. The 
skin varies in color from almost white to dark bronze. The hair of 
both sexes is long, straight, coarse, black, and luxuriant on the head, 
where it extends very low over the forehead, but is almost entirely 
absent from other parts of the body. The women usually wear their 
hair hanging down the back in two plaits. Their faces are romid 
and full, with rather high cheek bones; the skull is highly brachi- 
cephalic in type. The following indices were taken from a small 
number of Santa Cruz Indians, mostly males of middle age : 

Maximum length of head cm . . 17. 52 

Maximum breadth of head em . . 15. 44' 

Cephalic index 88.11 

Facial height cm. . 11. 68 

Maximum bi-zygomatic breadth cm . . 12. 84 

Facial index 84-40 

Nasal height cm . . 5. 13 

Nasal breadth cm . . 3. 55 

Nasal index 69. 30 

The eyes are large and dark brown, the ears small and closely applied 
to the head, the nose rather broad, and the jaw prognathous. The 
mouth is fairly large and the teeth excellent, though toward middle 
age they become greatly worn down in many individuals from eating 
corn cake impregnated with grit from the stone metate, and from the 
same cause they are frequently much incrusted with tartar. The figure 
in both sexes is short and broad. The long bones and the extremities 
are small and delicate. Both men and women are, however, capable 
of considerable and prolonged exertion. The former can carry loads 
of 150 pounds for 20 miles in the macapal (tab), a netted bag 

15 



16 BUREAU. OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

which is slung over the back and held up by a band passing round 
the forehead, while the latter can work for hours at a time grinding 
corn on the metate without apparent fatigue. Many of the younger 
women would be considered very good looking, measured by the 
most exacting standard, though they reach maturity at an early age, 
and deteriorate in appearance very rapidly after marriage, .the face 
becoming wrinkled and the figure squat and shapeless. In walking 
the men bend the body forward from the hips, keep the eyes fixed upon 
the ground, and turn the toes in, habits acquired from carrying the 
macapal on all occasions. So accustomed have they become to. this 
contrivance that many of them, when starting on a journey of even 
a couple of miles, rather than go unloaded, prefer to weight the 
macapal with a few stones as a counterpoise to the habitual forward 
inclination of their bodies above the hips. Children begin carry- 
ing small macapals at a very early age, and it is probably to 
this habit and not, as Landa suggests, to the custom among the 
women of carrying their children astride the hip that the prevalence 
of bowlegs (kulba ok) among the Indians is due. These people have 
a peculiar and indescribable odor, rather pleasant than otherwise; 
it is not affected by washing or exercise, is much stronger in some 
individuals than in others, and is perceptible in both sexes and at 
all ages. The women are, on the whole, both physically and mentally 
superior to the men, and when dressed in gala costume for a "baile" 
with spotlessly clean, beautifully embroidered garments, all the gold 
ornaments they possess or can borrow, and often a coronet of fire 
beetles, looking like small electric lamps in their hair, they present a 
very attractive picture. They are polite and hospitable, though 
rather shy with strangers; indeed in the remoter villages they often 
rush into the bush and hide themselves at the approach of anyone 
not known to them, especially if the men are away working in the 
milpas. They are very fond of gossip and readily appreciate a joke, 
especially one of a practical nature, though till one gets to know 
them fairly well they appear dull and phlegmatic. When quarreling 
among themselves both women and girls use the most disgusting and 
obscene language, improvising as they go along, with remarkable 
quick-wittedness, not binding themselves down to any conventional 
oaths or forms of invective, but pouring out a stream of vituperation 
and obscenity to meet each case, which strikes with unerring fidelity 
the weak points in the habits, morals, ancestry, and personal appear- 
ance of their opponents. The young girls are as bad as, if not worse 
than, the older women, for whom they seem to have no respect. 
They are extremely clean in their persons, and wash frequently, 
though with regard to their homes they are not nearly so particular, 
as hens, dogs, pigs, and children roll about together promiscuously 
on the floor, and fleas, lice, and jiggers abound only too frequently, 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 17 

The description given by Landa (chap, xxxn, p. 192) of the Indian 
women at the time of the conquest applies equally well to their 
descendants of the present day: 

Emborachavanse tambien ellas con los combites, aunque por si, como comian por 
si, y no se emboraehavan tanto como los hombres . . . Son avisadas y corteses y 
conversables, con que se entienden, y a maravilla bien partidas. Tienen poco 
secreto y no son tan limpias en sus personas ni en sus cosas con quanto se lavan como 
los erminos. 

The women are very industrious, rising usually at 3 or 4 o'clock 
in the morning to prepare the day's supply of tortillas or corn cake. 
During the day they prepare tobacco (kutz) and make cigarettes; 
gather cotton (taman), which they spin (kuch), weave (sakaT), and 
embroider for garments; weave mats of palm leaf and baskets (xush) 
of a variety of liana (ok); make pottery (ul), and cotton and hene- 
quen cord, of which they construct hammocks (Jean). In addition 
to these tasks they do the family cooking and washing, look after 
the children, and help their husbands to attend to the animals. 
Till late at night the women may be seen spinning, embroidering, 
and hammock-making by the light of a native candle or a small 
earthenware cuhoon-nut oil lamp, meanwhile laughing and chatting 
gayly over the latest village scandal, the older ones smoking cigarettes, 
while the men squat about on their low wooden stools outside the 
house gravely discussing the weather, the milpas, the hunting, or 
the iniquities of the Alcalde. Among the Indian women of British 
Honduras the old customs are rapidly dying out; spinning and 
weaving are no longer practiced, pottery making has been rendered 
unnecessary by the introduction of cheap iron cooking pots and 
earthenware, candles have given place to mineral oil lamps, and 
even the metate is being rapidly superseded by small American hand 
mills for grinding the corn. The men's time is divided between 
agriculture, hunting, fishing, and boat and house building, though 
at times they undertake tasks usually left to the women, as mat 
and basket making, and even spinning and weaving. The In- 
dians of British Honduras who live near settlements do light work 
for the rancheros and woodcutters; they have the reputation of being 
improvident and lazy, and of leaving their work as soon as they have 
acquired sufficient money for their immediate needs, and this is to 
some extent true, as the Indian always wants to invest his cash in 
something which will give an immediate return in pleasure or amuse- 
ment. The men are silent, though not sullen, very intelligent in all 
matters which concern their own daily life, but singularly incurious 
as to anything going on outside of this. They are civil, obliging, 
and good-tempered, and make excellent servants, when they can be 
got to work, but appear to be for the most part utterly lacking in 
70806°— 18— Bull. 64 2 



18 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

ambition or in any desire to accumulate wealth with which to acquire 
comforts and luxuries not enjoyed by their neighbors. It happens 
occasionally that an individual does perforce acquire wealth, as 
in the case of the head chief of the Icaiche Indians, who was 
paid a salary by the Mexican Government to keep his people 
quiet, and royalties on chicle cut on his lands by various contractors. 
He accumulated a considerable sum, all in gold coin, which he 
stored in a large demijohn' and hid in the bush. At his death, as no 
one knew the place where the demijohn was buried, the money was 
permanently lost. They are remarkably skillful at finding their way 
in the bush by the shortest route from point to point, possessing a 
faculty in this respect which amounts almost to an instinct; they are 
skillful also at folio whig the tracks of men and animals in the bush 
by means of very slight indications, as broken twigs and disturbed 
leaves, imperceptible to an ordinary individual. The men are very 
stoical in bearing pain. I have removed both arms at the shoulder 
joints, with no other surgical instrument than a long butcher's knife, 
and no anesthetic except several drinks of rum, for an Indian, 
crushed between the rollers of a native sugar mill, without his uttering 
a single complaint. The Indians are undoubtedly cruel, but not 
wantonly so, as the shocking acts of cruelty reported as being per- 
petrated by them from time to time are usually by way of reprisal for 
similar or worse acts on the part of the Mexicans. Before the rising 
of the Indians in 1848, they were throughout this part of Yucatan prac- 
tically in a state of slavery, and were often treated by their Spanish 
masters with the utmost barbarity. As an instance of this it is 
recorded of a well-known merchant of Bacalar that he was in the 
habit of burying his Indian servants in the ground to the neck, with 
their heads shaved, exposed to the hot sun; their heads were then 
smeared with molasses and the victims were left to the ants ; and this 
punishment was inflicted for no very serious offense. It is hardly to 
be wondered at that such treatment left in the Indians' hearts an 
undying hatred for their masters which, when in their turn they 
gained the ascendancy, found vent in acts of the most horrible 
cruelty — flogging, burning, mutilation, and even crucifixion. 

Dress 

The men wear hats of platted palm leaf, which they make them- 
selves; those woven from coarse split palm leaf are known as xani 
pok, those of very fine leaf, like Panama hats, bear the name bomi 
pok (pi. 1). They wear cotton trousers (eex), or in some sections 
short cotton drawers (xkulex), with a short, loose, shirt-like jacket of 
cotton hanging outside the trousers. On the feet they use sandals 
of danta hide (xanapkeuel) held in place by a leather or henequen 
thong passing between the great and second toes and around the 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



5ULLETIN 64 PLATE 1 




GROUP OF SANTA CRUZ INDIANS 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



19 




Fig. 2.— Gold earrings made and worn by the Santa Cruz 
Indians. 



back of the heel to the front of the instep, where it is fastened. 
Formerly the cotton was grown, spun, and woven at home, but 
nowadays it is giving place to cheap imported English and Ameri- 
can goods, while the sandals are being superseded by moccasins 
and even by imported shoes. The moccasins the Indians make 
themselves, tanning the hides (usually of deer or antelope) in lime 
and red mangrove bark and 
stitching the parts together 
with thin strips of leather. 
These moccasins, which 
are made on crude wooden 
lasts, are very comfortable 
and wear well. 

The women wear two gar- 
ments of cotton; the huipil 
(yupte) , a loose short-sleeved 
blouse, cut square at the 
neck, and reaching nearly 

to the knees, and a short skirt reaching to between the knee and 
the ankle, known as a pik. The neck, the lower border, and the 
armholes of the blouse and the edge of the skirt were formerly 
beautifully embroidered in varicolored floral and geometrical de- 
vices; now, however, cotton manufactured in England or the United 
States and stamped in colors to imitate the original embroidery 
is rapidly coming into use. The women formerly went barefooted 
or wore loose slippers; now they frequently wear imported shoes, 
often with .high heels, a feature which renders their walk and 
carriage awkward and stilted. They often go bareheaded, but 
sometimes wear a sort of shawl (bostch) around the head and shoul- 
ders. Many of them wear large round or oval plaques 
of gold (tup) in the ears, survivals, probably, of the 
enormous round ear disks worn by the ancient Maya 
(fig. 2). Some of the women wear long gold chains, 
with religious medallions attached, while the smaller 
Fig. 3.— cross of tan- children wear a variety of curious objects, as small 
corns, shells, beads, dried seeds, and berries, with fig- 
urines in wood, stone, pottery, and metal, strung round 
their necks. Many of these are worn as charms or amulets to pro- 
tect the wearer against diseases, accidents, or evil spirits, or to bring 
good luck. A charm worn by nearly all children consists of a 
small cross of tancasche bark (fig. 3) which is regarded as a sov- 
ereign remedy for flatulence, a complaint from which, owing to the 
nature of their diet, nearly all suffer. 




casche bark worn 
by children. 



20 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

Industrial Activities 
agriculture 

Of all the arts practiced by the Indian, agriculture is by far 
the most important; indeed the greater part of his time and labor 
are devoted to the milpa (kol), or corn plantation, which 
affords him his principal means of livelihood, for if the corn crop 
fails he knows that actual starvation will menace his family until 
the next crop is gathered. The virgin bush, in which the milpa is 
made, is cut down about December or January, only the large and 
hardwood trees being left standing. This is the most arduous part 
of the work, and the neighbors often assist in it, being helped in 
turn when making their own milpas. The bush is allowed to dry 
until the end of May (the dry season lasting from January to May), 
when it is burned off. After the burnt area has been cooled by the 
first shower of rain it is planted in corn (mm). This is a simple 
operation, two or three men going over the ground, each with a bag 
of corn and a sharp -pointed stick, making small holes at fairly regular 
intervals, into each of which they drop a few grains of corn, and 
then cover them with earth. About October the corn begins to ripen, 
whereupon each stalk is bent about a foot below the ear and allowed 
to hang down for several days in order that rain may not gain 
entrance and spoil the grain in the final stages of ripening. During 
this period the owner spends nearly all his time in the milpa, sleeping 
there in a little palm-leaf shack at night, since many animals, as 
deer and wild hogs, are very fond of corn, which is subject to raids 
also by neighboring Indians and by tame pigs from the village. 
When the corn is ripe, it is stored, still in the husk, upon a low plat- 
form, in a small house specially built for the purpose, often, in order 
to avoid transportation, situated within the milpa. It is shelled as 
required for use, the surplus from that eaten by the family and 
stock being exchanged at the nearest village for cash or for cotton 
cloth, rum, iron cooking pots, ammunition, and other luxuries. The 
shelling is done by rubbing the husked ear against a rough flat sur- 
face, made by binding a number of corncobs (bacal) together into a 
circle with liana. Many fruits and vegetables besides corn are grown 
in the milpa, including yams (xaci macal), camote (is), pumpkins 
(kuum), squashes {xka), tomatoes (paak), plantains (haz), colalu 
(xterkoch), aguacate (on), plums (abal), oranges (ydkaal), siricote 
(kopte), sapodillas (ya), mamai (chacal haz), okra, garden egg, melon, 
breadfruit, sweet lime, pineapple, and a variety of others. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 21 

PROCURING FOOD; COOKING 

Both men and women take for the first meal of the day a hot 
thick drink known as posol, made from ground corn and water, 
often flavored with honey; later they eat tortillas, beans, and chili 
pepper, accompanied with a cold drink made from corn. In the 
evening they make their principal repast, which includes game, 
pork, fish, or eggs, with beans and other vegetables, plenty of chili 
pepper, and either chocolate or some hot drink made from corn. 
They use a great variety of drinks concocted of ground maize and 
water, including chocosacan, a solution of the masa from which 
tortillas are made, in water, flavored with a little salt; pinol, a 
solution of ground toasted corn -seasoned with pimento and other 
spices; posol, boiled corn ground to a paste and mixed with hot 
water; sacJia, very much like posol, but the corn is not cooked 
soft, so that the beverage is gritty; and, lastly, atol, which is cho- 
cosacan boiled till the mixture becomes thick and glutinous. 

Tortillas, or corn cake, sometimes eaten hot, sometimes cold, 
and at times toasted, are the Indian's chief mainstay in the way 
of food, as they appear at every meal, and at a pinch he can exist 
on them alone for a very long period. Tortillas are made in the 
following way: The grain is first soaked overnight in a lye of wood 
ashes, treatment which softens the grain and loosens the outer husk. 
The softened grain is next ground into a fine paste on an oblong 
stone, slightly concave, known as a metate (ka), by means of a 
stone rolling pin thicker in the middle than at the ends, designated 
as a brazo (u Jcabka). This procedure takes considerable time, as 
the grain has to be ground a number of times in order to get the 
paste to the required degree of fineness. When the paste or masa 
is ready it is flattened by hand into small round cakes (tortillas), 
which are baked on an iron or earthen plaque (xamach) over a glow- 
ing wood fire. 

The hunters are experts at barbecuing {macaii) the carcasses of 
various birds and animals, chiefly deer, peccary, wild turkey, and 
curassow, as they often get a large supply of game when several 
days' journey from the village, which, unless preserved in some way, 
would quickly spoil. The carcasses are cut into joints; the birds 
plucked, cleaned, and split open; and the meat thus prepared is 
hung in a small palm-leaf shack rendered as nearly airtight as pos- 
sible, upon the floor of which is kindled a fire of damp cedar chips. 
These give off some heat and great quantities of aromatic smoke, 
so that in about 24 hours the meat is sufficiently cured to last for 
several weeks. Meat prepared in this way is considered a great 
delicacy. If it is wished to preserve the meat for longer periods 
the process is prolonged and salt may be rubbed in. Strips of meat 



22 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY f bull. 64 

and carcasses of birds may sometimes be seen hanging from the 
rafters over the fire in the kitchen so desiccated, hard, and black- 
ened that it would appear impossible to eat them; but after months 
of drying this meat, when soaked in warm water for 24 hours, is 
not unpalatable. The Indians wash their hands before and after 
eating, a very necessary practice, as they eat exclusively with their 
fingers, using the tortillas to scoop up gravy, beans, and other 
mushy foodstuffs. They eat at small round tables about 16 inches 
high, sitting, or rather squatting, around them on little blocks of 
wood 4 to 5 inches high. They are very fond of salt, which among 
the coast Indians is obtained by evaporating sea water, among the 
inland villages by trade from Yucatan and Guatemala. Since this 
supply has been almost cut off, owing to the troubles with Mexico, the 
Indians frequently use for salt the ashes obtained by burning botan 
tops. Men and women do not eat together, as the women are pre- 
paring relays of hot tortillas for the men while the meal lasts. Their 
food and mode of eating is well described by Landa (chap, xxi, 
p. 120) : 

Que por la mafiana toman la bebida cablente con pimienta, como esta dieho y 
entre dia las otras frias, y a la noche los guisados. Y que si no ay carne hazen sus 
salsas de la pimienta y legumbres. Que no acostumbravan comer los hombres con 
las mugeres, y que ellos comian por si en el suelo, o quando mucho sobre una serilla 
por mesa: y que comen bien quando lo tienen, y quando no, sufren muy bien la 
hambre y passan con muy poco. Y que se lavan las manos y la boca despues de 
comer. 

Indeed, the foregoing description would apply almost as well to 
Indians of the more remote villages of the present day as to those 
of the time immediately after the conquest. In localities where 
they have come in contact with more civilized communities their 
menu has been considerably enlarged by the introduction of im- 
ported foodstuffs, while their methods of eating have been changed 
by the introduction of knives, forks, and spoons. The native 
methods of cooking are very primitive. Three large flat stones 
so placed as to form an equilateral triangle, known as koben, form 
the only fireplace; in this is kindled the fire of sticks or split logs, 
over which is placed the earthenware or iron cooking pots or plaque 
for baking tortillas, resting on the stones. Fire (Jcaak) is usually 
obtained through the use of matches among the Indians of British 
Honduras. Hunters and others who spend a great part of their 
time in the bush employ flint and steel. Among the Indians in the 
remote villages fire is still made by swiftly rotating a sharp-pointed 
shaft of some hardwood (usually dogwood) in a hole made in a 
small slab of very light dry wood (commonly gumbo limbo) . There 
is no chimney to the kitchen, the smoke finding its way out as best 
it can through the doors and crevices in the walls; consequently 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



23 



the whole of the interior, with its permanent furnishings, is colored 
a fine rich brown. 



HUNTING 



It must be admitted that the Indian is no sportsman in the pur- 
suit of game, the claims of the pot being always paramount. He 
rarely shoots at a flying bird unless to fire into the midst of a flock 
of parrots or wild ducks, and when after the larger game he waits 
till he can deliver the contents of his gun point-blank into some vital 




Fig. 4.— Powder horn and measure of bamboo used by the Indians. 

part. This practice may be due partly to the limitations of his 
weapon, which till recent years consisted of a muzzle-loading section 
of gas pipe, nearly as dangerous when discharged to the hunter 
as to the game, and partly to the fact that the bush is usually so 
dense that an animal, if not shot at point-blank range, can not 
be gotten at all. It is probably not more than four generations 
since the use of the bow and arrow died out among the Indians 
in the western part of British Honduras, as old men among them 




Fig. 5.— Watertight box for caps, matches, or tinder, with corncob stopper. 

have told me that they could remember seeing a few still in use 
when they were very young. The flint arrowheads, they said, 
were obtained down the Mopan River. This seems quite possible, as 
at Baker's, not far from Belize, there is an outcrop of flint, where, 
judging by the great heaps of fresh-looking chips and rejects still 
in existence, a considerable " factory" must have existed at a com- 
paratively recent date. Some of these old men could still make 
fairly serviceable bows and arrows, the heads of the latter being cut 
from hardwood. 



24 BUREAU OF AMERICAN" ETHNOLOGY [bull. ft4 

The principal game animals of this region are the deer (ke), two 
species of wild hog, the warri and peccary (Jcekem), gibmit (halib), 
armadillo (vetsh), wild turkey (kutz), parrot (tut), pigeons of various 
kinds (mucui), curassow (kambul), quam (cosh), quail (num.), and 
partridge (mankolom). Besides these, birds in great variety, rep- 
tiles, and mammals are killed and eaten from time to time, including 
plovers, garzas, toucans, water hens, wild ducks, and chichalacas. 
The iguana (tolok) is eaten by the Indians in the west of British Hon- 
duras, as are also the woula (ochkan), a large constrictor snake, and 
the rattlesnake, known as the cazon i leash, or "little shark of the 
woods." Turtles (sacak) are often captured along the east coast of 
Yucatan and the adjacent islands, and their eggs in the breeding 
season form a great delicacy for the Santa Cruz Indians living in 
the neighborhood of Tuluum. Hicatec (ak) and bucatora are caught 
in great numbers in all the rivers and lagoons. The tiger (balam), 
puma (coh), picote (chic), monkey (maash), tapir (tzimin), squirrel 
(kuuk), cane rat (tso), and other animals are hunted from tune to 
time, either for their skins or flesh. Deer are secured in considerable 
numbers in the rutting season by imitating their call with a wooden 
whistle (fig. 6) ; they are also found in the milpas, just after the burning, 



Fig. 6.— Whistle for attracting deer by imitating their call. 

where they come to lick the slightly saline ashes. At this time the 
owners build platforms on poles 10 to 12 feet high, on top of which 
they spend the whole night in an extremely cramped and uncom- 
fortable position, waiting for deer or other game to approach near 
enough for an easy shot. A favorite method of hunting the larger 
game animals is to go out at night with a split-pine torch attached 
to the hat; this attracts animals of all kinds, whose eyes may be 
seen gleaming in the dark, affording an easy mark, though not 
infrequently a neighbor's errant pig pays the penalty of curiosity. 

Traps of two kinds are in common use. One employed to snare 
larger game is constructed in the following way: A path frequented 
by game in going to and from a watering place is found; along this 
is dug a shallow trench opposite a good springy young sapling; two 
stakes are driven in, one on each side of' the trench, the one farthest 
from the tree being crooked at the top. A piece of henequen cord, 
provided with a noose at one end, and with a stick long enough to 
extend from one stake to the other, firmly tied by its middle above 
the noose, is attached to the top of the sapling by its other end. 
The sapling is then bent down and held in place by the stick above 
the noose, which is fixed lightly between the crook in one stake and 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 25 

t 

the stake opposite to it, the loop hanging suspended between the 
two. Lastly, a number of sticks and leaves are scattered lightly over 
the trench and beside the stakes and loop. Animals coming along 
the run are very apt to put their necks in the loop, and by pulling 
on this, to release the cross stick, whereupon they are immediately 
suspended in the air by the jerking back of the bent sapling. 
Animals of all sizes, from rabbits^to tigers, are caught in traps of 
this kind, the strength and adaptability of which vary with the size 
of the bent tree and the adjustment of the noose. Another trap, 
used only for small animals, consists of an oblong cage made of split 
bamboo or cabbage bark. Over the opening, which is in the top, 
rests an accurately balanced strip of board, baited at one end- with 
corn. When the animal endeavors to reach the bait it is precipitated 
into the trap, and the board swings back into place, covering the 
exit. Before they obtain guns the boys use slings, with which they 
can throw pebbles with remarkable force and accuracy, bringing 
down birds, squirrels, and other small game. They keep many tame 
animals, some for food, others as pets, including pigs, dogs, cats, 
peccaries, gibnuts, rabbits, quashes, nicos de noche, and squirrels; 
also birds, as parrots, doves, quam, curassow, chichalaca, sinsonte, 
pavo real, and many others. 

FISHING 

Many fish are found in the coastal waters, in the rivers, and in the 
lagoons of the interior, including cazones, tarpon, skipjacks, snappers, 
eels, baracoudas, stone bass, cobarli, jewfish, tubers, bay snooks, 
river snooks, and a variety of others. They are caught with hook and 
line, in cast and seine nets, in traps, and by spearing or harpooning. 
Fish traps are cylindrical in shape, with a funnel-shaped opening 
at each end, the apex of the funnel pointing toward the center of the 
trap, so that entrance is easy but exit very difficult. The traps, 
made of split bamboo, are placed upon the bottoms of rivers or 
lagoons, baited with "masa," which attracts multitudes of the tiny 
fish there abounding; these in their turn attract larger fish, which 
enter the trap in pursuit of the small fry and are captured. Har- 
pooning at night by the light of a split-pine torch is about the nearest 
approach to real sport which the Indian enjoys; this is usually done 
near the bar of a river, on a calm dark night, by three men in a 
canoe, one paddling, one holding the torch, and the third wielding 
the harpoon. This implement consists of a slender cane 10 to 12 
feet in length provided with a sharp barbed spindle-shaped steel head, 
fitting into the hollow at one end, so that on striking the fish the 
head parts from the shaft to which it is attached by a cord held in 
the hand of the harpooner. The fish are attracted by the light of 
the torch, and the harpooner strikes at the swirl which they make 



26 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



alongside the dory. Harpooning is rather an exciting form of sport, 
as it is impossible to tell what sort of fish has been struck until it 
is landed. Hicatee and bucatora are harpooned with an unbarbed 
triangular point, this giving the best hold on their tough shells ; they 
are captured also by spreading small nets in the vicinity of the stumps 
and holes along the river banks, which they frequent. 

CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSES AND 
FURNITURE 

The Indians construct their houses 
in the following manner: First a 
number of straight trees about 8 
inches in diameter at the base and 
crotched at the top are selected in 
the bush for posts. These are usu- 
ally Santa Maria, chichem, sapo- 
dilla, or some hardwood. They are 
cut down, and after having been 
peeled are dragged to the site of the 
new house, where they are firmly 
^planted, one at each of the four cor- 
ners and others, the number de- 
pending on the size of the house, at 
short intervals between in the lines 
of the walls. In the crotches other 
slightly smaller poles 5 to 6 inches 
in diameter, also peeled, are laid; to 
these are attached still smaller poles, 
which run up to the ridgepole 
Qionache), forming rafters (uinciche). 

Fig. 7.-Indian carrying load of bejuco, a liana All ^big framework is firmly bound 
used as ropo in houcs building. . , ,, „ , . 

together by means ot ropes or liana 
(fig. 7) . Rows of long thin pliable sticks are next bound round the 
rafters, and to these are attached layer upon layer of " huana " (sJiaan) 
leaves till a thatch, sometimes 18 inches thick and quite impervious 
to rain, is formed (pi. 4). 

The walls between the posts are filled in with "tasistas," a small 
palm trunk, or in some cases with strips of split cabbage palm. The 
outer sides of the walls may be daubed with a mixture of mud and 
hair, or of chopped fiber (paHoom), and whitewashed, or they may 
be thatched with palm leaves. The floor is made of marl dust 
pounded down to a flat hard surface. 

Doors and windows may be made of wickerwork of liana, of split 
cabbage palm, or of a frame of sticks thatched with palm leaves. 
When a man undertakes the building of a new house his neighbors 




BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



iULLETIN 64 PLATE 2 




MAYA GIRLS FISHING 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



SULLETIN 64 PLATE 3 




FISH DRYING ON ONE OF THE CAYS OFF THE COAST OF YUCATAN 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



ULLETIN 64 PLATE 4 




a. LEAF-THATCHED HOUSE 




b. INDIAN HOUSE ON RIO HONDO 
MAYO INDIAN HOUSES 



Gann] MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



27 



usually help him, and the residence is ready for occupancy in a few 
days, as all the materials are growing ready to hand in the neighbor- 
ing forest, and require only cutting down and assembling. The 
facility with which their dwellings are constructed, and the difficulty 
in getting more than one or two crops in succession from each plan- 
tation, with their primitive agricultural methods, probably account 
for the frequent changes in site which one notices in Indian villages. 
As the lands in one neighborhood become impoverished, the popula- 
tion has a tendency gradually to desert the old village, and start a 
new one in a more favorable locality. 

The kitchen, which is a replica of the house on a small scale, is 
usually placed a few yards be- 
hind it.' 

The furniture is of the sim- 
plest, consisting of a small 
round cedar table, with a lit- 
tle bowl-shaped projection 
which contains a lump of masa 
when tortillas are being made 
and chili peppers or salt at 
mealtimes. The seats are mere 
blocks of wood, 3 or 4 inches 
high (caanche), with perhaps 
one or two more pretentious 
low hollow-backed wooden 
chairs covered with deer skin 
or " tiger" skin. A number of 
calabashes of all shapes and 
sizes, with a few earthen 
water jars, iron cooking pots, 
and plaques for baking tortil- 
las, are found in all houses. 
Hammocks (Man) of cotton or henequen fiber are always conspicu- 
ous articles of furniture, as they are slung all around the room, 
making it very difficult to move about in it when they are let 
down. In many houses contact with the hammocks is not desir- 
able, as lice have a habit of leaving the body of the hammock 
during the day and secreting themselves in the knots between 
the body and the arms, whence they may transfer themselves to the 
garments of the unwary. If the hammock is large the father and 
mother often sleep in one, their heads at opposite ends, while the 
smaller children, frequently to the number of three or four, occupy 
another. There can be no such thing as privacy, as the whole family 
commonly sleep, live, and eat in a single room, which at most is divided 
into two apartments by a flimsy cotton curtain. A prominent 




Fig. 8.— Domestic altar. 



28 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

object in most Indian houses is an altar (cancJie), or high square 
table, upon which stands a wooden cross (fig. 8). The altar is 
covered with a cotton cloth, embroidered in flowers and religious 
symbols; the cross is draped with ribbon or strips of colored fabric, 
and sometimes with crude models, in silver or gold, of legs, arms, 
and hands, representing thank offerings to some favorite Santo for 
the healing of corresponding parts of the body. Little images in 
wax, and, if the Indian can obtain them, religious oleographs and 
medallions, with colored-glass vases, are commonly found upon the 
altar, which is frequently dressed with fresh flowers. 

The Indian's only tool is his machete, a heavy cutla^s-like knife, 
about 16 inches long; with this he cuts and cleans his mnlpa, makes 
his house and most of his furniture, digs postholes, and fights and 
defends himself. 

His indispensable belongings consist of a hammock, a few cal- 
abashes and pots, a machete, and a cotton suit, all of which he 
can carry slung over his back in a macapal; with his wife and 
dogs trotting behind him, he can leave his old home and seek pas- 
tures new with a light heart and untroubled mind, knowing that 
the bush will provide for all his needs. 

POTTERY MAKING 

Pottery making is rapidly dying out through the greater part 
of this area, owing to the importation of more convenient and dur- 
able vessels. It is undertaken almost exclusively by the older 
women, who employ a fine light yellow clay mixed with sand or 
powdered quartz. They make vessels in considerable variety, both 
as to size and shape, which are used for the storage of water and dry 
material, as corn, beans, and achiote, and as cooking pots. They 
do not use a potter's wheel, but mold the smaller utensils by hand 
and build up the larger by the addition of fragment upon fragment 
of clay. The outside is smoothed over with a little wooden spade- 
like implement. No polish, glaze, or paint is applied to the pottery, 
either inside or out; the highest effort at decoration resulting in 
merely a few incised lines just below the neck, or a rough scalloping 
around the rim. The pottery is burned in a clear, open wood fire; 
when completed the ware is known as ul. 

BOAT BUILDING 

The Indians living in the neighborhood of lakes and rivers possess 
dories or canoes which vary in size from tiny craft 5 to 6 feet long 
by 16 to 18 inches beam, capable of holding only a single individual, 
to large craft 25 feet or more in length, large enough to hold a dozen 
people. All their canoes are constructed by the simple process of 
hollowing out large logs, the more durable ones being made from 
cedar, the lighter ones from wild cotton (yaxche). The boats are 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 5 




MAYA WOMAN, 105 YEARS OLD, SPINNING COTTON 



iUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 6 




MAYA LOOM 

a. Yamal. b. Xunche. c. Sikinche. d. Toboche. e. Cheil. /. Mamacche. g. Yoch. h. Botoch. 
i. New spindle, k. Old spindle. I. Cotton cloth. 



GANN] MAYA. INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 29 

pointed, bow and stern, and when steel tools are available to their 
makers the lines are often very graceful. Many of the boats, how- 
ever, follow to some extent the contours of the logs from wliich 
they were made, being exceedingly clumsy and difficult to manage. 
On the rivers and lakes the only method of propulsion is by means 
<?>f a broad-biaded cedar paddle about 5 feet long, or, where the water 
$s shallow and the bottom hard, a long pole. Both men and women 
;We acquired considerable dexterity in paddling and can keep it 
up at a 4-mile-an-hour gait from early morning till late at night, 
with very short intervals for refreshment. They use their canoes 
|or trading corn, vegetables, lime, and live stock among villages 
along the river banks, for line fishing, spearing, and netting, and 
for getting from place to place. On the large lagoons and along 
the seacoast they sometimes use the pole to support a lug sail. 

SPINNING AND WEAVING 

Spinning (Jkuch) is done by means of a spindle Qiechech) of hard- 
wood, 12 to 14 inches long, weighted about 3 inches from the bottom 
with a hardwood or pottery ring 
(pi. 5). The upper end is re- 
volved by the finger and thumb 
of the right hand, which are con- 
stantly rubbed on a piece of stone- 
like substance, made from deer- 
skin burned and ground to a 
powder, to prevent them from 

, • i • /n „ v mi ,, Fig. 9.— Stonelike substance used to prevent fingers 

Sticking (fig. 9). The COtton from sticking while spinning. 

(taman) may be held in the left 

hand, or on the shoulder; the lower end of the spindle rests in a 
small calabash (luch), which is cemented into a support of woven 
liana (met), the luch and met together being known as toll (fig. 10). 

Weaving is done on a simple loom consisting of a cloth beam and 
yarn beam (xunche) of light strong wood, connected by the warp 
(cheil) (pi. 6) . The cloth beam is. attached round the back of the 
weaver by a thick henequen cord (yarned), enabling him to tighten the 
warp at will by simply leaning backward. The yarn beam is usually 
attached to a doorpost. The shuttle (botosh) consists of a light 
stick, pointed at both ends, on which the wpit is wound obliquely. 
All the alternate warp strands may be raised together by means of 
a heddle (mamacche) consisting of a number of loops- attached to a 
rod, each loop passing round a warp strand, so that when the rod is 
raised the warp threads are raised with it. The lease rods (halaMeh) 
consist of splints of hard heavy wood, usually sapodilla, 2 to 3 inches 
broad, one-third of an inch thick in the center, with sharp edges and 
pointed ends. A loose rod (toboche) about the size of the yarn beam 




30 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



is used to roll up the completed material (yoch). The loom for 
cotton cloth is usually 2\ to 3 feet broad, but much smaller looms 
are frequently used for narrower strips of material 



MINOR INDUSTRIES 



Tobacco Curing 



the roof of 
ill they are 



The tobacco leaves are hung in bunches, often under 
the corn house, in the milpa, in a free current of air, 
thoroughly dry; they are then powdered in a shallop basin, or 
the bottom cut from a large calabash, and mixed with the leaves of 
the chiohle, a species of vanilla, which gives a distinctive flavor and 
fragrance to the tobacco; finally the mixture is rolled into cigarettes 
(filiiople) in a covering of corn husk (coloch) . 




Fig. 10. — Calabash with liana base used in spinning. 
Basket and Mat Weaving 

Baskets are woven from a special thin tough liana and from split 
cane; those of liana (ok), which are large and coarse, are ccmmonly 
used for carrying corn from the milpa, slung over the shoulders like 
a macapal. The split-cane baskets, which are smaller and more 
neatly woven, are used in the house for all sorts of domestic purposes. 

Henequen fiber is used by the Indians for a great variety of pur- 
poses. The fiber is obtained from the leaf, which is cleaned upon a 
smooth board (poJcche) about 4 feet long by 6 inches broad, in the 
following way*: The top of the board is held against the lower part 
of the operator's chest while the lower end rests on the floor. The 
leaf is placed on the board and the juilp scraped from the fiber with 
a bar of hardwood, triangular hi section. At the upper end of the 
board is a deep notch in its side, in which the cleaned part of the 
leaf is clamped, thus fixing the part which is being scraped. The 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 31 

cleaning has to be done very early in the morning, as when the sun 
gets hot the juice from the pulp produces an unpleasant itching rash 
upon the skin. The fiber when cleaned and dried is made into rope 
and cord; from the cord hammocks, sacks, a coarse kind of cloth, 
and many other articles are manufactured. Candles are made by 
dipping a wick of twisted cotton into melted black beeswax (box Tceb), 
obtained from wild bees. Sometimes a number of the logs in which 
the wild bees hive are brought in to the village and placed one above 
the other, on trestles, to form a sort of apiary, in order that honey 
and wax may be always obtainable. 

Oil for cooking and for burning in small earthenware lamps with 
twisted cotton wicks is obtained by breaking up the kernel of the 
cuhoon nut and boiling it hi water. A clear rather thin oil floats to 
the surface, which may easily be skimmed off. Near the sea coconut 
oil is prepared in the same way. 



SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS 
Villages 

The villages vary in size from two or three houses to two hundred 
or more, with inhabitants numbering from 10 or 12 to more than 
1,000. In the smaller villages the houses are very irregularly dis- 
posed; in the larger they are arranged more or less regularly so as 
to form streets around a large central space, or plaza, where the 
dance house and church are usually situated. Each "house is sur- 
rounded by its own patio, or yard, generally inclosed in a fence of 
"tasistas," in which the bush is allowed to grow to a considerable 
height in order to provide a convenient latrine for the women and 
children. Dogs, pigs, and vultures serve as scavengers. Many of the 
Indians, especially the Santa Cruz, are at great pains to conceal the 
whereabouts of their villages. Along the main roads only a few 
scattered groups of huts will be seen, while the larger villages are 
approached by tracks so inconspicuous that they may easily be 
missed. The villages themselves are surrounded by a maze of narrow 
tortuous paths, in which a stranger may wander about for some time 
before finding his way in. The Santa Cruz are said sometimes to 
cut the tongues from their cocks in order to prevent them crowing 
and so betraying the situation of the village. 

The Indians are very jealous of outside interference hi their affairs 
and do not permit foreigners to reside in their villages. An exception 
was made in the case of a number of Chinese coolies imported into 
British Honduras many years ago, most of whom ran away to the 
Santa Cruz country, where they were well received and married 
Indian wives. Among their offspring, it is interesting to note, are 
found a very unusual proportion of defectives. On one occasion the 
Mexican Government commenced to cut a road through from Peto 
to Santa Cruz, the Indian capital. Five of the Santa Cruz Indians 
went to see the work going on and were well received and given useful 
presents. On returning to their own country, however, they were 
executed by the head chief as traitors for encouraging the entry of 
outsiders into their territory. 

Marriage and Children 

The Indian girls married formerly at about 14 or 15, the boys 

at about 17 or 18 years. After the conquest of Bacalar, however, 

and the expulsion of Yucatecans from Indian territory a law was 

passed making marriage compulsory for all girls of 12 years of age 

32 



[bull. 64, gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 33 

and upward. This was probably done with the idea of increasing 
the population, which had been considerably depleted by the long- 
continued war. Formerly, the first question of a girl's father to 
her suitor was " Hai tzak a kul hai tzak taman? " (How many macates 
of corn and cotton have you ?) ; but at the present day there are 
not enough men to "go round." The Indians of British Honduras 
are usually married by the Catholic priest, though the actual cere- 
mony is often performed months or even years after the young 
couple have set up housekeeping together, since owing to the re- 
moteness of many of the Indian settlements the priest can visit 
them only at long intervals. Among the Santa Cruz marriages are 
not considered legal unless performed by an official known as the 
yumxerib (probably derived from the Maya Yum, "lord," and Span- 
ish escribano), who holds a position somewhat analogous to that 
of colonial secretary in a British colony. 

The babies and smaller children in general are pretty, merry 
little things. The mothers almost invariably nurse them well into 
the second year, as the mammary glands are remarkably well devel- 
oped and the secretion is abundant and long continued. Children 
are much desired by both parents and are well treated and loved, 
though not spoiled. If the father and mother separate, the very 
young children remain with the mother; of the older children, the 
boys go with the father, the girls with the mother. If small chil- 
dren are left destitute by the death of both parents, the nearest 
relative takes them, and in the absence of relatives they are dis- 
tributed by the subchief among families of his choosing in their 
own village. When a man dies his widow takes the home, furniture, 
domestic annuals, corn, and plantations; other possessions, if such 
exist, are divided equally between the widow and the older chil- 
dren, each taking such articles as will be most useful to him or her. 
When a woman dies her jewelry, ornaments, and clothes are divided 
between her daughters. The marriage tie is a somewhat loose one, 
and the more the Indians come in contact with civilization the 
looser it seems to become. In British Honduras, where the Indians 
are closely associated with Spaniards, Mestizos, Negroes, and other 
races, the women change their partners with the utmost facility. 
The Negroes are called kisinbosh, "black devils," by the Indians, 
a term which, however it originated, is now employed without any 
particularly opprobrious significance, as many of the Maya women 
show no repugnance to a Negro husband. A good deal of the 
immorality is brought about by the cheapness of rum and* the facil- 
ity with which it is obtainable by the Indians. The husband takes 
to drmk, neglects his wife and family, and probably gets entangled 
with some other woman; the wife, in order to obtain food, clothing, 
70806°— 18— Bull. 64 3 



34 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY . [bull. 64 

and a shelter for herself and children, is driven to an alliance with 
some other man who is a better provider. The consequence is that 
in British Honduras all degrees of racial mixture are to be found 
between Indian women and European, East Indian, Chinese, and 
Negro men, who, again intermarrying, produce a bewildering racial 
kaleidoscope. 

The Indians are a short-lived race, a fact due partly to their 
indigestible and badly cooked food and partly to the prevalence 
among them of malarial fever (chokuil), with accompanying anemia 
(xcan mucui) and splenic enlargement (canchikin) , but chiefly to 
overindulgence in alcohol whenever an opportunity offers. Notable 
exceptions to this rule are, however, not uncommon, and once an 
individual passes the four-score mark he or she is quite likely to live to 
well over 100 years; dried up, wrinkled, and feeble, but clinging to 
life with an almost incredible tenacity. 

Drunkenness 

Landa frequently mentions the fact that in his day drunkenness' 
(halted) was the curse of the Indians and the cause of many crimes 
among them, including murder, rape, and arson. 1 At the present 
time these remarks apply equally well; indeed, drunkenness is prob- 
ably more prevalent than formerly, as the rum is made locally and 
is far more intoxicating than the balclie, which Landa describes as a 
drink made from fermented honey, water, and roots. Moreover, the; 
people drink rum at all times and seasons, whereas both the prepara- 
tion and consumption of balclie were to some extent ceremonial, as 
was the resulting intoxication. Drunkenness is not considered in 
any way a disgrace, but is looked on rather as an amiable weakness. 
The women, especially the older ones, drink a good deal but they 
usually do so, in the privacy of their own houses. I have seen, 
however, a little girl of 14 or 15 purchase a pint of rum in a village 
liquor store, and go out on the plaza, where she drank it in a few 
gulps; then, lying down in the fierce heat of the afternoon sun, she! 
lapsed into alcoholic coma. Alcohol effects an extraordinarily rapid 
change for the worse in the Indian's temperament; from a quiet, 
polite, rather deferential individual, he is converted almost in a 
moment into a maudlin idiot, staggering about singing foolish 
snatches of native songs, and endeavoring to embrace everyone he 
comes in contact with. When thwarted while in this condition his 
temper is likely to flare up at the slightest provocation, whereupon 
the thin veneer of civilization and restraint is sloughed in a moment,, 
and he becomes savage, impudent, overbearing, and contemptuous, 

iQue los indios eran muy dissolutos en bever y emboracharse, de que les seguian muchos males, comd 
matarse unos a otros, violar las camas . . . y pegar fuego a sus casas, — Landa, Relation de las Cosas de, 
Yucatan, chap. XXII, p. 122. 



GAN-N] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 35 

toward the stranger, and ready to draw his machete and fight to 
kill, with friend or foe alike. 

Chiefs 

On the death of the head chief (noh calan or noJboch yumtat) among 
the Santa Cruz and Icaiche the oldest of the subchiefs (chan yum- 
topilob) is supposed to succeed him; as a matter of fact there are 
always rival claimants for the chieftainship, and the subchief with 
the strongest personality or greatest popularity among the soldiers 
usually succeeds in grasping the office. There are nearly always 
rival factions endeavoring to oust the chief in power, and the latter 
rarely dies a natural death. The village subchiefs are elected by 
the people. The power of the head chief is practically absolute 
over the whole tribe. Some years ago, when Roman Pec was head 
chief, one of the subchiefs came to Corozal, the nearest town in 
British Honduras, to purchase powder, shot, and other supplies. 
He remained some time, as he had many friends in the place, and 
obtained, among other things, a bottle of laudanum to relieve tooth- 
ache. On returning to his village he was met by three soldiers, 
who informed him that he was to go with them at once to the head 
chief, as the latter was angry with him on account of his long absence 
from the country. Aware that this was equivalent to a sentence of 
death, he asked permission to retire to his house for a few minutes, 
to get ready for the journey, and taking advantage of the oppor- 
tunity, he swallowed the whole contents of the bottle of laudanum. 
This began to take effect very shortly, and' long before reaching the 
capital he was dead. 

The method of executing those sentenced to death is curious. 
The accused does not undergo a formal trial, but the evidence 
against him is placed before the head chief; if he is convicted, 
he has an opportunity of defending himself and of producing wit- 
nesses in his behalf. Three or four soldiers are chosen by the chief 
to carry out the sentence; this they do by chopping the victim 
to death with their machetes when they catch him asleep or off 
his guard. Several men always perform this act, all chopping the 
victim at the same time, so that no single individual may be directly 
responsible for his death. Imprisonment as a punishment for 
crime is unknown, fine, flogging, and death being the only three 
methods employed for dealing with criminals. Fines and flogging 
may be administered by the subchiefs, but sentence of death can 
•be passed only by the head chief. The severity of the flogging 
is regulated by the nature of the offense, and after it is over the 
recipient is compelled publicly to express sorrow for his crime and 
go around humbly kissing the hands of all the spectators, after which 
he is given a large calabash of anise to drink. The heaviest pun- 



36 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

ishment is inflicted for witchcraft or sorcery, as the pulya, or sor- 
ceress, is greatly dreaded by the Indians. She is literally chopped 
limb from limb; but whereas the bodies of other victims executed 
in this way are always buried, that of the pulya is left for the dogs 
and vultures to dispose of. < 

Military service is compulsory for all adult males among the 
Santa Cruz, though many avoid such service by payment to the 
chief of a certain sum in money or its equivalent. Small garrisons 
were kept up at Santa Cruz, Chan Santa Cruz, Bacalar, and other 
Indian towns where soldiers were permanently stationed. No uni- 
form was provided, thoTigh many of the men were armed with 
Winchester rifles. They were provided also with a ration of corn 
and beans, and often took their wives along with them as cooks. 

Diseases and Medicines 

Indian men and women of all ages and classes, when attacked 
by any serious malady, are found to be lacking in vitality and 
stamina; they relinquish hope, and relax their grip on life very easily, 
seeming to hold it lightly and as not worth a fight to retain. 
An elderly man or woman will sometimes take to the hammock 
without apparent physical symptoms of disease beyond the anemia 
and splenitis from which nearly all suffer, and merely announce 
lie in cimli, "I am going to die." They refuse to eat, drink, 
or talk, wrap themselves in a sheet from head to foot, and finally 
do succumb in a very short time apparently from sheer lack of 
vitality and absence of desire to continue living. 

Malaria is without doubt the chief scourge of the Indian's existence. 
Many of the villages are built in low-lying situations, with mosquito- 
breeding swamps all round them, while the scrubby bush and rank 
vegetation are allowed to grow in the yards right up to the houses, 
furnishing good cover and an excellent lurking place for the insects; 
moreover, the Indians seldom use mosquito curtains, as they seem 
to have acquired a sort of immunity to the irritation caused at night 
by the noise and biting of the pests. Practically all Indians suffer 
from malaria, which is the main cause of the splenic enlargement and 
anemia so prevalent among them. In some cases the spleen reaches 
an enormous size, nearly filling the abdominal cavity, and deaths from 
a slight blow or fall, causing rupture of this organ, are by no means 
uncommon. Malaria is usually treated by means of profuse sweating 
(kilcabankil) , the patient lying wrapped in a cotton sheet in the 
hammock, with a fire burning beneath and drinking sudorific bush 
medicine. This in itself is an excellent remedy, but in the midst of 
the sweat patients frequently plunge into cold water, thue becoming 
thoroughly chilled, a procedure very apt to bring on pneumonia, to 
which they are peculiarly subject. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 37 

The splenic enlargement is treated by applying a number of small 
circular blisters (xacal) containing chichem juice to the skin, over 
the affected organ, which seem to be remarkably efficacious in reduc- 
ing the swelling. 

In. the winter when the nights are cold the Indians often lie out 
all night in the wet, a practice which frequently results in pneumonia 
and death. Hookworms and many other varieties of intestinal para- 
sites are prevalent, owing to the earth-eating habits of the children, 
the earth being taken usually from the immediate vicinity of the 
house, where pigs and other domestic animals have their quarters. 
This disgusting habit no doubt accounts in part for the swollen bellies 
and earthy color of many of the children. 

Smallpox (leak) invading an Indian village is a terrible scourge, 
far worse than in a more civilized community of the same size, where 
partial immunity has been acquired. Sometimes the whole unaffected 
population depart en masse, leaving the dead unburied and the 
stricken lying in their hammocks, with a supply of food and water, 
to do the best they can for themselves. The Indians employ the 
same mode of treatment for this disease as for malarial fever — 
sweating followed by immersion in cold water, treatment which, it 
need hardly be said, is not infrequently followed by disastrous results. 

Venereal diseases of all kinds are remarkably rare among all the 
Indian tribes. Among the Santa Cruz and Icaiche such diseases were 
practically unknown. Even among the mixed breeds of British 
Honduras they are comparatively rare, notwithstanding the fact that 
these natives have come much in contact with people of many other 
races, especially of late years with Mexican Chicleros, nearly all of 
whom are affected with venereal disease in one form or another. 

Simple fractures of the long bones are set very neatly and skill- 
fully in the following way: The fractured limb is pulled away 
from the body with considerable force in order to overcome the dis- 
placement; over the fractured bone is wound a thick layer of cotton 
wool, and over this are applied a number of small round, straight 
sticks, completely surrounding the limb, their centers corresponding 
nearly to the seat of fracture; these are kept in place by a firm 
binding of henequen cord. The limb, if an arm, is supported in a 
sling; if a leg, the patient is confined to his hammock till the fracture 
is firmly knit. Excellent results are secured by this method, the 
union being firm, and the limb nearly always uniting in good position. 

Bleeding, a favorite remedy for all complaints, is especially resorted 
to in cases of headache and malarial fever. Usually the temporal vein . 
less frequently one of the veins in the front of the forearm, is opened, 
having been first distended with blood by tying a ligature around 
the upper arm. A chip of obsidian, a sharp splinter of bone, or a 
snake's tooth, serves as a crude lancet; the use of the last causes 



38 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

considerable pain, but is believed to have some esoteric virtue con- 
nected with. it. 

Decoctions made from the charred carcasses of animals at one time 
were much employed, certain animals being regarded as specifics 
for certain diseases. Thus, during an epidemic of whooping cough 
{xinki sen) a decoction from the charred remains of the cane rat 
was almost exclusively given to the children to relieve the cough, 
though in this case it is difficult to trace the connection between 
the remedy and the disease. 

Many eye troubles are treated by placing, a small rough seed 
beneath the lower lid of the affected eye, where it remains for a day; 
when the seed is withdrawn it is covered with mucus, to which the 
doctor points as the injurious matter, the cause of all the trouble, 
which he has removed. 

Massage is practiced chiefly for uterine and ovarian pains by the 
older women, who also act as midwives; it is used also in conjunc- 
tion with kneading and manual manipulation in the cure of neuralgic 
pains, strains, stiffness, and rheumatism. 

In confinements, which usually take place either in the hammock 
or on the floor, the dorsal position is invariably assumed. In such 
cases also massage over the uterus is performed by the midwife. 
If the desired results are not secured, the patient is made to vomit 
by thrusting a long coil of hair down her throat, while a woman of 
exceptional lung power is sent for to blow into her mouth, with 
the object of hastening delivery. 

The Indians use for medicinal purposes a great variety of plants 
which grow in their country; some of these are purely empirical 
remedies; others produce definite physiological results and are 
frequently used with good effect, while a few, apparently on the 
assumption that "similia similibus curantur," are employed because 
of some fancied resemblance in form to the diseased part, as xhudub 
pelc, twin seeds of the size of small eggs, the milky juice of which is 
used as an external application for enlarged glands and for various 
forms of orchitis. 

The following plants arc used medicinally by the Indians as 
remedies for the diseases named, respectively: 

Acitz. — The milky juice of a tree, used as an application for chronic sores and 
ulcers. 

Acam. — The leaves of this plant are applied hot to reduce the swelling and relieve 
the pain in enlargement of the spleen and liver. 

Purgation Xiu. — An infusion made from the leaves is administered warm in 
bladder and urethral troubles. 

Pakaal. — An infusion made from the leaves of the orange tree is given as a sudorific. 

Pichi. — A paste made from the leaves of the guava is applied to "bay sore." a 
specific ulcer somewhat resembling "oriental sore." 

Pomolche. — A mouth wash made from the milk of this tree is used in cases of sto- 
matitis and ulceration of the mouth. 



oa.nn] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 39 

Quimbombo. — The wild okra is greatly esteemed as an external application in 
cases of snake lute. 

Sisim. — An infusion made from the leaves is used as a sudorific in cases of malarial 
fever. 

Sicilpuz. — A yellowish fruit sometimes used as a purgative 

Cabalpixoy. — The fruit of this tree is given in cases of diarrhea, and an infusion 
made from the bark is used in diarrhea and dysentery. 

Claudiosa Xiu. — An infusion made from the whole 1 ush is greatly esteemed as 
a hath and lotion in all uterine and ovarian, complaints. 

Chalche. — The spinous leaf of this plant is used as a local application to relieve 
neuralgic pains, and an infusion made from the leaves is given for rheumatism. 

Chamico. — An infusion made from the leaves of the convolvulus mixed with other 
leaves is given to relieve asthma and bronchial catarrh. 

Chaac. — The arrowroot, eaten raw, is regarded as a useful remedy in all bladder 
and urethral complaints. 

Cuouc. — The wood, ground into a paste, is applied to the heads of small children 
suffering from fever and convulsions. 

Ruda. — The leaves of this plant are universally used as an external application 
for children suffering from convulsions, and frequently in the same manner for the 
relief of almost any nervous complaint in adults. 

Pica pica. — A sort of cowhage which, mixed with atol or some corn beverage, is 
largely used as a vermifuge for children. 

Games 

Both children and adults play many games, most of which have 
probably been introduced since the conquest. A favorite among 
these is a game known as talc in Tcul, in which a number of players 
stand in a row with their hands behind their backs while one, who 
holds a small pottery disk in his hand, stands behind the row, another 
standing in front. The one holding the disk places it in the hands of 
one of those in the line, who in turn passes it to his neighbor, so that 
it travels rapidly up and down the line. The player in front has to 
guess in whose hand the disk is at the moment of guessing. If he is 
right, the holder of the disk has to come in front while the one who 
guessed correctly joins the line. 

Chac is a sort of "knucklebones," played with pottery disks, which 
are tossed from the palm to the back of the hand and back again; 
the one who drops fewest disks in a given number of double throws 
wins the game. 

The boys make little bows (poJioche) and arrows (/ml) tipped with 
black wax, with which they play war and hunting games. 

A seesaw made from a small tree balanced on a stump is popular, 
as is also a sort of merry-go-round constructed from a cross of poles 
fixed on top of a stump by means of a wooden pin, which rotates 
freely. The children sit at the extreme ends of the poles and make 
the contrivance rotate by kicking against the ground vigorously at 
intervals as they go around. 



40 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

The bull roarer, made from a dry seed pod, is popular in some 
villages and is probably one of the few toys used by the natives 
before the conquest. 

Cricket, baseball, marbles, kites, and spinning tops have been 
introduced among the Indians of British Honduras, and all have their 
devotees. 

Religion 

The Indians, who are extremely superstitious, believe that the air 
is full of pishan, or souls of the dead. They imagine that these 
souls are at liberty at all times to return to earth, and that at cer- 
tain seasons they are compelled to do so. They are regarded as 
being capable of enjoying the spirit, though not the substance, 
of food or drink provided for them. Some of these pishan the 
Indians believe to be friendly and some inimical to mortals. They 
believe also in spirits, usually mischievous or harmful, known as 
xtahai, who often take the form of beautiful women, though they 
have never been human. The natives will whisper a message into 
the ear of a corpse with the certainty of having it conveyed to a 
friend or relative in the next world. They firmly believe that the 
clay images of the gods upon incense burners, at one time found in 
considerable numbers in forests which had been uncut since the days 
of their ancestors, live, walk about, and dance at certain seasons. 
Another belief held by the Indians is that the images of Christian 
saints are endowed at times with life and perform acts desired by 
their devotees. A celebrated wooden image, supposed to represent 
San Bernardo, was credited with considerable powers in this respect, 
and when an Indian wanted rain for his milpa, the return of an 
errant wife, or any similar blessing, ho would come and pray to 
the image to obtain it for him. On one occasion an Indian came 
asking the saint to aid him in the recovery of pigs which he had 
lost, and on returning to his village found that the pigs had arrived 
home before him. Next day he returned with the intention of 
making an offering to the saint, and incidentally to the owner of 
the house where the image was kept. Ho found the poor Santo 
with torn clothes and many burs sticking all over him. On inquir- 
ing how this happened he was informed that the saint had been 
out in the bush hunting for pigs, a quest which had given him 
a great deal of trouble before he could find and drive them home, 
and that when he got back he was tired out, his clothes torn by 
thorns, and covered with burs — an explanation with which the 
Indian was perfectly satisfied. 

The men are very unwilling to dig either in ancient mounds or 
ruins, as they are afraid of being haunted by the pishan of those 
whose remains they may disturb; and nothing will induce them to 



GANN] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 41 

go into caves or burial chambers in mounds. Many curious super- 
stitions hang about the ruins found throughout the country. I was 
assured by an Indian at Benque Vie jo that he had gone on one 
occasion to the ruins situated near the village, and seeing a pigeon 
seated on a tree, raised his gun to shoot it; before he could do so, 
however, the pigeon turned into a cock, and this almost imme- 
diately into an eagle, winch flew at him, driving him away. There 
is another superstition about these ruins to the effect that when 
the first settlers came to Benque Vie jo they wished to build the 
village near the ruins, where the land is very good for growing corn, 
but were repeatedly driven off by a little old man with a long gray 
beard. At last, giving up the idea, they contented themselves with 
the present- site for the village. 

For many years, between the expulsion of the Yucatecans from 
Bacalar by the Indians and the conquest of the latter by the Mexican 
troops, some 12 years ago, no Catholic priests were permitted to 
visit the Santa Cruz country. The Indians, however, appointed 
priests from among themselves, who carried out, so far as can be 
ascertained from those of their number who left the territory and 
settled in British Honduras, a sort of travesty of the rites of the 
Roman Catholic Church freely interspersed with many of those of 
their ancient religion, which had survived. The headquarters of 
this religious cult was the capital, where it centered around what 
was known as the "Santa Cruz," a plain wooden cross, 2 to 3 feet 
high, which had probably been removed from some church after 
the expulsion of the Spaniards. This cross was supposed to be 
gifted with the power of speech (a belief arising no doubt from the 
exercise of ventriloquial powers by one of the priests), and acted as 
a sort of oracle, to whom all matters of importance — civil, military, 
and religious — were submitted for decision. It need hardly be said 
that the cross never failed to return an answer to all these questions, 
in entire conformity with the wishes of the chief. 1 

1 In 1S59 a mission was dispatched by the superintendent of British Honduras to the chiefs of the Santa 
Cruz, with the object of rescuing Spanish prisoners held by them. The following account is from "A 
narrative of a journey across the unexplored portion of British Honduras, with a sketch of the history 
and resources of the colony," by Henry Fowler, colonial secretary (Belize, 1879): 

"That night as usual all the available Indians in Bacalar arrived in front of the home where the Santa 
Cruz is kept. The boy attendants or sentries on the idol, called angels, were in front of it and the drums 
and bugles sounded at recurring parts of the song. The chief was inside with the image and the angels. 
The subordinate chiefs and soldiers knelt outside, and did not rise until the service was over, when they 
crossed themselves and rubbed their foreheads in the dust. About 11 o'clock the Indians were heard 
running backward and forward, and an order was given to bring out the prisoners, who were placed in a 
line before the Santa Cruz, and a large body of soldiers were placed with them. They all knelt down in 
the road. There were about 40 female prisoners, with one arm tied to the side, and 12 or 14 men pinioned 
by both arms. All were calm, except the children, although it was known Santa Cruz was pronouncing 
their doom. A squeaking whistling noise was heard issuing from the oracle, and when it ceased it was 
known the Santa Cruz wanted a higher ransom from the prisoners. * * * 

"Some of the women and children were separated from the rest, amongst whom was a young Spanish 
girl well known in high circles. A procession was then formed and marched off to the east gate; first came 
a strong body of troops, then alternately in Indian file, a male prisoner and his executioner, who drove nim 
on with his machete, holding him by a rope; next came the women, 35 in number, driven and held in a 



42 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. C>4 

The Indians here under consideration occupy an intermediate 
position between the civilized Maya of northern Yucatan, who 
have lost nearly all tradition and traces of their former civilization, 
and the Lacandones of the Usumasintla Valley, who have probably 
changed but little in their customs and religious observances since 
the conquest. Nominally they are Christians, but the longer one 
lives among them, and the better one gets to know them, the more 
he realizes that their Christianity is to a great extent merely a thin 
veneer, and that fundamentally their religious conceptions and even 
1 heir ritual and ceremonies are survivals — degenerate, much changed, 
and with most of their significance lost — but still survivals of those 
of their ancestors of pre-Columbian days. To Christianity, not as 
a separate religion, but as a graft on that which they already prac- 
ticed, they seem to have taken kindly from the first; and at the 
present day, as will be seen, the sun god, the rain god, St. Laurence, 
and Santa Clara may all be invoked in the same prayer, while the 
Cross is substituted in most of the ceremonies for the images of the 
old gods, though many of the latter are called on by name. The 
four principal religious ceremonies of the Indians are, as might be 
supposed, closely associated with agriculture, especially with the 
corn crop. The first of these ceremonies takes place at the cutting 
of the bush in which the corn plantation is to be made, the second 
at the planting of the corn, the third during its ripening, and the 
fourth at harvest time. Of these the third, known as the Cha cliac, 
which takes place during the ripening of the corn, and whose object 
is to secure sufficient rain for that purpose, is by far the most impor- 
tant, and it alone will be described, as it embraces the offerings and 
ritual of all the other ceremonies. 

The day previous to the ceremony the men of the family prepared 
the plb, an oblong hole in the ground, in which the various corn 
offerings were to be baked, while during the night the women were 
busy grinding corn to make masa (a thick paste of ground maize) 
and pumpkin seeds to make sikil. Very early in the morning of 
the day of the ceremony the priest with his assistant arrived at the 
house of the giver. This priest called himself men, but was called 
by the owner a chac, while the Chichanha priest called himself an 
ah Jcin. The Indians chose a site in the midst of a grove of 
large trees. After clearing away the undergrowth they swept clean 
a circular space about 25 feet in diameter. In this they proceeded 

similar manner; then another body of soldiers closed the rear; the Englishmen were not allowed to follow. 
The procession halted under a clump of trees about 150 yards off. And soon the butchery commenced; 
shrieks were heard, but in 10 minutes all was over. 

"The Santa Cruz was mixed up with some Catholic rites/but retains the leading characteristics of the 
god who was best propitiated by placing bleeding human hearts within his lips." 

In 1S63 the Icaiche were beaten by the Santa Cruz, and, says the chronicler: "The account of the 
slaughter and human sacrifice made oh that occasion is appalling." 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



43 



to erect two rude huts, one 12 feet the other 6 feet square; both 
were thatched with huano leaf, and the floor of the smaller hut 
was covered with wild plantain leaves. In the center of the larger 
hut was erected a rough altar 6 by 4 feet and 4 feet 6 inches high, built 
of sticks bound together with bejuco (fig. 1 1 ) . The central part of this 




Fig. ll.-Coichanha Indian priest in front of altar at Clia chac ceremony. 



altar was covered by an arch of "jabin" branches with the leaves 
still attached. About a dozen small calabashes in their ring supports 
(Maya chuyub) were placed on the altar, and three more were hung 
to a string passing from the side of the shed to a post a few yards 
away. The masa prepared the previous night was then brought 
out in four large calabashes, two of these being placed under the altar 



44 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[BULL. 64 



and two on top of it ; a large calabash of sikil and one of water were 
also placed on the altar and a jar of balcJie (a drink made of fermented 
honey in which is soaked the bark of a tree) beneath it. Beneath the 
suspended calabashes was placed a small table containing piles of 
tortillas and calabashes of masa and water. In carrying out this 
ceremony it is essential that everything used in it be perfectly fresh 
and new; the leaves, sticks, bejuco, and jab in must be freshly cut, 
and the masa, sikil, balclie, and even the calabashes must be freshly 
made. The masa was taken from the large to the small shed, where 

the priest and several 
male members of the 
family sat around it. 
After flattening out a 
small ball of the masa 
the priest placed it on 
a square of plantain 
leaves and poured 
over it a little sikil 
(a thin paste made of 
ground pumpkin seed 
an d water) . Then the 
next man flattened out 
a piece of masa, which 
he placed over the 
sikil, and the process 
was continued until a 
cake was formed con- 
taining 5 to 13 alter- 
nating layers of masa 
and sikil. On top of 
each cake, as it was 
completed, the priest 
traced with his fore- 
finger a cross sur- 
rounded with holes; 
these were first partly 
filled with balche, which was allowed to soak into the cake, after 
which they were filled completely with sikil, whereupon the whole 
cake was carefully tied up in plantain leaf, with an outer cover- 
ing of palm leaf (fig. 12). These cakes are known as tutiua; their 
number is generally gauged by the number of participants in the 
ceremony. When sikil is not available, a paste of ground black 
beans is used; in this case the cakes are known as buliua (Maya 
bul, "bean"; ua, "bread"). The priest next made a deep 
depression hi a ball of masa about the size of a tennis ball, which he 
filled with sikil, covering it with the masa, so as to leave a ball of 




Fig. 12.— Priest tracing cross on cake and filling it in with sikil. 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



45 



masa with a core of sihil. A number of these balls, known as yokua, 
were made, each wrapped in plantain leaves. When finished, all of 
them were wrapped in a large palm leaf and tied into a bundle with 
split palm-leaf strands. Two more tutiua were next made, and lastly 
all the masa and sikil left were mixed together with a few ounces of 
salt. After being well kneaded this mass was divided into two por- 
tions, each of which was tied up in plantain and' palm leaf coverings. 
In the meantime some members of the family had filled the pib or 




Fig. 13.— Sacrificing a turkey at the Cha chac ceremony. 

oven with firewood, over which they placed a layer of small blocks 
of stone. The priestnext made a bowl of saclta (literally "white water," 
a drink made from ground corn and water), with which he filled 
the small calabashes on the altar, as well as the suspended calabashes ; 
these he explained were for the tuyun pishan, or solitary souls. A 
turkey and four fowls were then placed in front of the altar, alive, 
while the priest lighted a black wax candle by blowing a piece of 
glowing wood to a flame ; this candle he placed upon the altar. He 
next took up the turkey, around whose neck the assistant had placed 



46 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. Gi 

a wreath of jabin leaves, and poured a little balche down its throat, 
its legs being held by the assistant (fig. 13). While doing this the 
priest murmured the following prayer: 

In kubic ti hahnal cichpan colel, ti San Pedro, San Pablo, San Francisco. 

Translation 

I offer a repast to the beautiful mistress, to San Pedro, San Pablo," San Francisco. 

The turkey and the other fowls were then killed by having their 
necks wrung, and the carcasses of all five were removed to the 
house to be prepared by the women. The various bundles of masa 
and sihil in their leaf coverings were next removed to the pib, where 
the fire had burned itself out, leaving the hole half full of ashes 
and red-hot stones. A lining of plantain bark was laid over the 
stones, upon which the bundles were arranged; over these were 
placed more hot stones and over the latter palm leaves; lastly, the 
earth which had been dug from the pib was raked over all. The 
priest next took a small quantity of the sacha from a calabash, in 
a jabin leaf, and scattered it on the ground in three directions, 
meanwhile murmuring this prayer: 

Cin kubic ti atepalob, 1i nob yum kab yetel uahmetan, atepalob, tiaca tzib nab. 

Translation 

I offer to the majestic ones, to the great lord, com cake, great ones. [Tiara tzib 
nah is somewhat obscure. The reading, according to Don Juan Martinez, of Merida, 
should be tia ca oib-nah.] 

Afterward, the priest repeated the performance with sacha from 
the calabashes on the altar, and lastly with some from the cala- 
bashes of the tuyun pishan. The saclia was then distributed in 
calabashes to the participants, it being essential that every drop of 
it be drunk. After a wait of about an hour all proceeded to the 
pib, which, after it had been sprinkled by the priest with balche 
from a small calabash, was opened. The red-hot leaf-wrapped 
bundles were carried to the small shed, where the coverings were 
removed, exposing the tutiua and yokua, crisp, brown, and hot. 
These were placed upon the altar, with the exception of one tutiua, 
which was tied to the string holding the calabashes of the tuyun 
pishan. The cakes made from the remainder of the masa and sikil 
were now crumbled into a large calabash and mixed with another 
large calabash of Tcool (a reddish liquid made from water, ground 
corn, black pepper, and achiote). The two mixtures were stirred 
with a peeled wand of jabin till they formed a thick paste known 
as sopas. While the sopas was being made the hearts, heads, and intes- 
tines of the fowls were removed to the pib where they were buried, lest 
some animal by eating them should defile the offering. The cooked 
and dismembered turkey and other fowls were brought out to the 
small shed in calabashes; the livers, gizzards, and immature eggs 
were chopped up fine and well mixed with the sopas. A small 



GANN] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 47 

calabash full of this mixture was placed with the calabashes of the 
tuyun pishan, while the rest, in a large calabash, the fowls' claws 
standing upright in it, was placed upon the altar, together with the 
dismembered birds wrapped in a clean cotton cloth. The priest 
next removed some balche from the jar and filled a calabash, which 
he placed upon the altar, as he did so murmuring these prayers: 

Ea, in cichpan cole] kanleoox, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tat yum San Isidro, 
ah koikal, yetel bacan tech yum kankin, culucbalech ti likin, yetel bacan in chant- 
tupchaac, culucbal chumuc caan, ti likin, yetel bacan yum canchaacoob; kin kubic 
yetel bacan ahooil atepalo chumuc caan, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tata ahcanan 
kakabool, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tata Cakaal Uxmal, yetel bacan tech in 
cichpan colel Santa Clara, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tata yum xualakinik, 
yetel bacan tech in cichpan colel Xhelik, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tatayum 
Santo Lorenzo, yetel bacan tech in cichpan colel Guadelupe, yetel bacan tech tun 
yum Mosonikoob, meyahnaheex ichil cool kat tocah. Cin kubic bacan letie Santo 
Gracia, utial a nahmateex, yetel bacan tech u nohchi Santo uai yokol cab halibe 
in yumen sates ten in cipil. Minan a tzul pachkeech letie Santo Pishan, Ooki in 
mentic letie Santo Promicia. 

Translation 

Now my beautiful lady of the yellow-leaf breadnut, as well as you, my handsome 
father San Isidro, tiller of the earth; as well as you, lord sun, who art seated at the 
east; as well as you, Chanttupchaac, who art seated in the middle of the heavens, 
in the east; as well as you, Yumcanchaacoob : I deliver to you, with the majestic 
servants in the middle of the heavens. As well as you, my handsome father, Ahca- 
nankakabool; as well as you, my handsome father Cakaal Uxmaal; as well as you, my 
beautiful lady Santa Clara; as well as you, my handsome father Xualakinik; as well 
as you, my beautiful lady Xhelik; as well as you, my handsome father San Lorenzo; 
as well as you, my beautiful lady of Guadelupe; as well as you, Lord Mosonicoob, 
that blows within the milpa when it is burnt. I deliver then to you this Holy Grace, 
that you may taste it, and because you are the greatest Santos on earth. That is all 
my master. Pardon my sins; you have not to follow the holy souls, because I have 
made this holy offering. 

Cin Kubic ti nah tatail, ti u cahil San Roque, u cahil Patchacan, ti Chan Sapote. 

Translation 

I offer you, great father, for your town of San Roque, your town of Patchacan, and 
Chan Sapote. 

The assistant then brought up some burning incense (pom) on a 
piece of plantain bark, which the priest took, and after waving it about 
for a short time placed it upon the altar, after which he dipped out a 
small portion of balche and scattered it in three directions, murmur- 
ing while doing so the following prayer: 

Noh Nah ti Uxmal, ti atepaloob Ixcabach Chen Mani, ti Xpanterashan, Chacanchi, 
Chacantoc, ti Xnocachan, Xcunya, Yaxutzub, Yaxaban, ti atepaloob. 

Translation 

Great house of Uxmal, of the majestic Ixcabach, Chen Mani, of Xpanterashan, 
Chacanchi, Chacantoc, of Xnocachan Xcunya, Yaxatzub Yax&ban of the majestic 
ones. 



48 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bdlu 64, gann] 

A small portion of balclte was next passed around to each of the 
participants, the priest again scattering a little on the ground and 
repeating the prayer. The calabash, which was now nearly empty, 
was then removed to the house for the benefit of the women. It 
was soon brought back by the assistant and refilled from the jar, 
and the same procedure gone through again. This was repeated till 
no more balche remained to be drunk. The priest then scattered some 
of the sopas in four directions, using one of the fowls' claws to scoop 
it up from the calabash, after which what remained of the sopas was 
divided up among the participants, each one being given a calabash 
in which a fowl's claw was placed for use as a fork. A small quantity 
of the mixture which remained was taken to the house for use of the 
women. Lastly the priest removed the tutiua and yokua from the 
altar, and divided these among the participants, giving each one at 
the same time a corn-husk cigarette. The ceremony was now 
finished, and the last act was completely to destroy all the objects 
used in it, including buildings, altar, calabashes, and chuyubs; this 
was done by fire. 

This Cha chac ceremony as performed by the Santa Cruz and 
Icaiche Indians bears a strong resemblance to certain ceremonies 
performed before the conquest, in honor of the Chacs, or Rain gods, 
and also to ceremonies carried out at the present day by the Lacandon 
Indians. 

The names given to the modern priests were, according to Landa, 
all in use in his day. The ('hues were four old men chosen to assist 
the priests. 1 The men was an inferior priest or sorcerer, while the 
name AKkin 2 was applied after the conquest, both to their own and 
to Christian priests by the Maya. Landa also mentions (Chap, xl, 
p. 260) a fiesta given to the Chacs, in conjunction with other gods, 
held in one of the plantations, when the offerings were consumed by 
the people after being first presented to the gods; these offerings 
consisted of turkeys and other fowls, corn cake, siMl, and posol, 3 all 
of which are used in the modern Maya Cha chac. 

The god Yumcanchacoob (Lord of all the Chacs) of the Santa 
Cruz probably corresponds to Nohochyumchac (Great Lord Chac) 
of the Lacandones, as does the Ahcanankakabol (keeper of the 
woods) of the Santa Cruz, to the Kanancash of the Lacandones, 
whose name has practically the same significance. A belief in 
Xtabai, or spirits, and ITcoob, or Wind gods, seems common alike 
to the Santa Cruz, the Lacandones, and the Indians of Yucatan. 

1 "Los chaces eran quatro hombres ancianos elegidos siempre de nuevo para ayudar al sacerdote a bien 
y complidamente hazer las fiestas." — Landa, op. cit., chap, xxvn, p. 160. 

2 "En contrario llamavanse y se llaman oy los sacerdotes en esta lengua de Maya AKkin, que se deriva 
de un verbo kinyah, que significa 'sortear 6 echar suertes.'" — Landa, ibid., p. 362. 

a Landa, ibid., chaps, xxxv, p. 212; xxxvi, p. 222. 



PART 2. MOUND EXCAVATION IN THE EASTERN MAYA AREA 



INTRODUCTION 
Classification of the Mounds 

In the following pages is a description of the mounds opened 
during the last few years in that part of the Maya area now con- 
stituting British Honduras, the southern part of Yucatan, and the 
eastern border of Guatemala (pi. 7). For descriptive purposes these 
mounds may be divided, according to their probable uses, into six 
main groups: 

1. SejmlcJiral Mounds. — This group includes mounds which, orig- 
inally constructed for other purposes, were afterwards used as burial 
sites. 

2. Refuse Mounds. — This group includes kitchen middens, shell 
heaps, deposits of waste material remaining after the manufacture 
of lime, and heaps of stones gathered from the surface of the ground. 

3. Foundation Mounds. — As the buildings themselves invariably 
stood on the summits of flat-topped mounds, such mounds, capped 
with the debris of the earlier structures, formed the bases of later 
ones. 

It.. Defensive Mounds. — Some of these mounds were crescent-shaped ; 
others were in the form of a horseshoe. 

5. Lookout Mounds. — These mounds extend in chains, at intervals 
of 6 to 12 miles, along the coast and up some of the rivers; they are 
lofty, steep-sided, and usually form the nuclei of groups of other 
mounds. As a rule they contain neither human remains nor arti- 
facts, though in one or two of them superficial interments seem to 
have been made at a comparatively late date. 

6. Mounds of Uncertain Use.— No trace of human interment was 
found in these mounds. Many of them are too small at the summit 
to have supported buildings, and it seems probable that they are 
sepulchral mounds, in which no stone, pottery, or other indestruct- 
ible objects were placed with the corpse, and in which the bones 
have entirely disintegrated. The larger mounds of this class, many 
of them flat topped, are carefully constructed of blocks of limestone, 
marl dust, and earth, and no doubt at one time served as bases for 
buildings — either small temples or houses — which, being built of 
wood, have long since vanished. 

70806°— IS— Bull. 64 4 49 



50 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

Most of the mounds are distributed in small and large groups, 
the latter usually containing one or more examples of each class, 
the former consisting for the greater part of small burial mounds, 
probably of late date, as they are less carefully constructed than the 
mounds of the larger groups, and the objects which they contain are 
of rougher and cruder workmanship. 

The burial mounds comprise more than half of all the mounds 
opened, followed in order of numbers by (a) foundation moimds; 
(b) mounds of uncertain use; (c) refuse mounds; (d) lookout moimds; 
(e) defensive mounds. 

It has been found that, as a rule, rich land contains many mounds; 
poor land, fewer; and sour-grass savannah, pine ridge, and swamp, 
none at all. The better the land the more numerous the mounds 
scattered over it, as is natural, since the more fertile the land the 
denser the population it would sustain. Not all the mounds opened 
have been described, as small burial mounds, especially in the same 
group, in both construction and contents, resemble one another 
closely, as do foundation mounds also. 

This part of the Maya area must cither have been occupied during 
a very considerable period or at one time must have supported a 
dense population, as wherever it is possible to cultivate the soil, 
especially to raise maize, mounds are to be found in great abundance; 
moreover, the surface everywhere bears such indestructible rubbish as 
potsherds, flint chips, and fragments of obsidian knives. It would 
probably be impossible to find anywhere in this area an acre of 
moderately good land on which dozens of such objects could not 
be discovered. This indicates that what is now dense tropical bush, 
with a few small Indian villages scattered through it at considerable 
intervals, was at one time a highly cultivated and thickly populated 
country. 

Referring to Yucatan before the conquest, Landa uses the words, 
"toda la tierra parescia un pueblo; " 1 while 200 years after the con- 
quest Villagutierre 2 mentions by name 10 tribes with whom the Itzas 
were at war, who lived to the east of the lagoon, nine days' journey 
away — in a region corresponding to the territory of coastal tribes of 
British Honduras and Quintana Iloo. 

1 Que estas gentes tuvieron mas de XX afios de abundancia y de sahid y se multiplicaron tanto que toda 
la tierra parescia un pueblo, y que entonces se labraron los templos en tanta mucbedumbre, como se vee oy 
en dia por todas partes y que atravesando por montes se veen entre las arboledas assientos de casas y edificios 
labrados a maravilla.— Landa, op. cit., p. 58. 

2 Que en Aiios passados tuvieron quatro Batallas eon los Indios Aycales (que son los Mopanes) Chinamitas, 
y Tulunquies, y Taxchinehan, Nob, y Acabob, Zuacuanob, Ahtimob, Teyucunob, Ahehemob, Ahcamulob. 
. . . y que todas estas Xaciones estavan viviendo juntas al Leste, u Oriente, y que de aquel I'eten, a sus 
Poblaciones, avia nueve dias de Camino, que era el que ellos gastavan en ir a ellas.— Villagutierre, 
Historia de la conquista de la provincia de el Itza, p. 554. 



ga.nx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 51 

Ancient Inhabitants of the Region 

From the contents of the mounds we are able to deduce many valu- 
able facts relating to the physical appearance, social life, religion, and 
art of the former inhabitants of this area. 

PHYSICAL appearance 

A very accurate idea of the physical appearance of these people 
may be derived from the figurines, paintings, stucco moldings, and 
skeletons found in the mounds. It would appear that they very 
closely resembled the modern Maya Indians. 1 They were broad 
of face, with small features and rather high cheek bones; without 
beard or mustache, but with straight,- black, coarse hair, which was 
allowed by both men and women to grow long. 

The skull was naturally brachicephalic, and as this characteristic 
was (and is now by the Maya) admired, it seems to have been almost 
invariably accentuated artificially by pressure applied over the occipi- 
tal and frontal regions during early infancy. 2 The average cephalic 
index of eight skulls removed from the mounds was found to be 110. 
The following list gives the average lengths of a number of bones of 
adults taken from the mounds, though in no case were all the bones 
of one individual found in a sufficiently perfect condition to permit of 
their accurate measurement: 

Humerus, 29.21 cm. 

Ulna, 25.38 cm. 

First phalanx (little finger), 3.04 cm. 

Femur, 36.83 cm. 

Tibia, 33.27 cm. 

Metatarsal bone of great toe, 5.33 cm. 

The bones are small, the ridges for muscular attachment not well 
marked, and the phalanges, metacarpal, and metatarsal bones small 
and delicate, indicating a body with rounded contours, poor muscular 
development, and small extremities. The front teeth in some cases 
were filed, in others filled with round plugs of obsidian, iron pyrites, 
or jadeite, for ornamental purposes. . 

1 Son en lo personal, estos Indies Itzaex, bien agestados; color triguefio, mas claro que el de los de Yuca- 
tan. Son agiles, y de buenos cuerpos, y rostros, aunque algunos se los rayavan, por seiiales de valentia. 
Traian las Cabelleras largas, quanto pueden crezer: Y assi, es lo mas diftcultoso en los Indios el reduzirlos 
a cortarles el pelo; porque el traerlo largo, es sefial de Idolatria. — Villagutierre, op. cit., p. 498. 

Que los Indios de Yucatan son bien dispuestos y altos y rezios y de muchas luercas. — Landa, op. cit., 
p 112. 

2 Que las inaias criavan sus hijitos en toda aspereza y desnudez del mundo, porque a cuatro o cinco dias 
nacida la criatura la pouian tendidita en un lecho pequeiio hecho de varillas, y alii boca abaxo le ponian 
entre dos tablillas la caiieca, la una en el colodrillo, y la otro en la frente, entre las quales se le appretavan 
reciamente y le tenian alii padeciendo hasta que acabados algunos dias le quedava la cabeca liana y enmol- 
dada como lo usavan touos ellos.^LANDA, op. cit., p. ISO. 



52 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

DRESS 

Among the lower class the men seem to have worn no garment 
except the maxili, consisting of a loin-cloth wound several times 
around the waist, the ends hanging down in front and behind, like 
small aprons. The women wore two garments, similar to those of 
the modern Maya, the Jiuijnl, or loose, sleeveless upper garment reach- 
ing to the hips (at the present this is worn longer, reaching well below 
the knees) and a short, loose skirt, both of cotton, and both embroid- 
ered hi colors at the borders. 1 The warriors wore in addition to the 
maxili a breastplate of thick quilted cotton, saturated with salt, 
arrow and spear proof, and ornamented with bows, studs, and tassels. 
To its upper border was attached a hollow bar, through which passed 
a cord, continued round the back of the neck, holding the breastplate 
in place. 

Both warriors and priests wore very elaborate headdresses. Those 
of the former were decorated with plumes of feathers and many of 
them held in front the head of some animal carved in wood, 2 as the 
jaguar, eagle, peccary, snake, or alligator. Some of the headdresses of 
the priests were shaped like a bishop's miter, while others resembled the 
Egyptian headdress. All classes wore sandals of leather or platted 
henequen fiber. The ornaments worn consisted of large circular ear 
plugs of shell, greenstone, or pottery, many with a tassel dependent 
from the center; studlike labrets at each side of the mouth; 
and occasional triangular ornaments attached on each ala of the 
nose. Round the neck were worn strings of beads, some in the 
form of human or animal heads, others with a gorget of greenstone 
or shell in the form of a human mask dependent from them. 
Wristlets and anklets of large oval beads, fastened with ornamental 
loops, were common, and copper finger rings have been found on two 
occasions, though it is possible that these may not have been intro- 
duced till after the conquest. Among the upper classes the orna- 
ments were made from jade, greenstone, iron pyrites, obsidian, 
mother-of-pearl, and copper; among the lower, from pottery, shell, 
and stone. 

WEAPONS 

The offensive weapons of the natives here dealt with consisted of 
flint and obsidian tipped arrows, 3 javelins, and spears, flint and stone 

1 Sus vestiduras, de que vsavan, eran vnos Ayates, 6 Gabachas, sin Mangas, y sus Mantas, todo de Algoddn 
texido de varios colores: Y ellos y las Mugeres, vnas como Faxas, de lo mismo, de cosa de quatro varas de 
largo, y vna tercia de ancho, con que se §eilian, y cubrian las partes; y algunas al canto, u orilla, mucha 
I'lumeria de colores, que era su mayor gala.— Villagutieree, op. cit., p. 498. 

2 Tenian algunos senores y capitanes como moriones de palo y estos eran pocos, y con estas arrnas ivan 
ala guerra, y conplumajes ypellejos detigres, y leones, puestoslos que los tonian. — Landa, op. cit., p. 172. 

3 Y en las orillas de la Playa, solo se veian amontonadas la multitud de Flechas, que la rcsaca de las olas 
aviallevado a Tierra. De adonde se puede inferir, quan inmenso seria el numero de ellas, que los Infieles 
arrojaron a los Pobres Christianos.— Viilagutierre, op. cit., p. 4S3. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 53 

axes, with slingstones, and stone-headed clubs, made for the most 
part of hard limestone. Their defensive weapons were small circular 
shields of leather-covered wickerwork and thick cotton breastplates. 

HOUSES 

The lower classes probably lived exclusively in thatched pimento- 
walled houses, identical in construction with those used by the Maya 
of the present day; naturally, these have completely disappeared, 
but the former sites of villages composed of such huts may easily 
be recognized by the presence of half-choked wells and the great 
number of malacates, broken pots, weapons, implements, ornaments, 
and rubbing stones, which are to be found scattered all over them. 
The priests, caciques, and upper classes doubtless lived in the stone 
houses, the remains of which lie buried in considerable numbers in 
the mounds. The walls of these houses were of stucco-covered stone 
and lime, the floors of hard cement, and the roofs, no doubt, of 
beams and thatch, as many of them are too wide to have been 
covered by the so-called "American arch." 

Many of these buildings were doubtless used as temples, but prob- 
ably the majority of them were private houses. 1 In one of them an 
interment had taken place beneath the floor of the house before the 
structure was destroyed. 2 

ARTS 

The former inhabitants of this part of the Maya area do not seem 
to have fallen far behind those of northern Yucatan in the arts of 
scidpture upon stone, stucco molding, mural painting, ceramics, and 
the manufacture of stone implements and weapons, as excellent 
examples in all these fields have been found. 

At Seibal, Holmul, Naranjo, and Benque Viejo, cities of the old 
Empire lying along the British Honduras-Guatemala frontier, examples 
of sculptured stelse and altars have been found, equal in fineness of 
workmanship to those found at any other site within the Maya area. 
The molded stucco figures at Pueblo Nuevo are beautifully executed, 
while the painted stucco upon the temple walls at Santa Rita is prob- 
ably the finest example of this kind of decoration yet brought to 
light in the whole Maya area. The colors used (green, yellow, red, 
blue, black, and white) seem to have been derived from colored 
earths and vegetal dyes ground to a paste in small shallow stone 

1 Estava en vn gran Sal<5n, cuyos Techos eran de Paja, y las Paredes de Cal, y ("anto, do vna vara dp alto, 
bruiiidas, como el suelo, y en ellas estrivava f 1 Maderage de lo lovantado en la ^asa.— Villagutierre, 
op.cit., p. 392. 

Estava poblada toda ella de Casas, algunas eon Paredes de Piedra, de cosa de mas de vara de alto, y de 
alii arriba Maderas, y los Techos de Paja, y otras de solo Madera, Y Paja.— Ibid., V.<\. 

2 Enterravanlos dentro en sus casas o a las espaldas dellas, . . . Comunmente desamparavan la casa y 
la dexavan yerma despues de enterrados. — Landa, op. cit., p. 19G. 



54 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Tbuli, 04 

mortars with spatulate flint grinders, which have been found with 
traces of paint still adhering to them. Ornaments in the form of 
human and animal faces and heads nicely cut from jadeite and green- 
stone are not uncommon. Some bear incised hieroglyphic inscrip- 
tions. The greenstone shell from Kendal, described later on, in its 
fineness of finish and accurate imitation of the natural form, is a 
remarkable example of gem cutting. 

Most of the domestic pottery used was of a rather coarse hard red 
ware. This comprises large amphora-hke water jars, shallow dishes, 
saucers, and bowls, used probably to hold food; cooking pots of 
various sizes and shapes, chocolate pots with upright spouts, and 
disks for baking tortillas. In addition to these, thick brittle vessels 
of very coarse pottery, some of exceptionally large size, are found, 
which were probably used as receptacles for corn, beans, pepper, and 
other light dry substances. Of the finer kinds of pottery some are 
ornamented with incised devices, executed after the vessels had been 
fired, others are covered with devices in polychrome, and still others 
with ornaments molded while the clay was plastic. Lastly, these 
three methods, or any two of them, may be combined in the deco- 
ration of any one vessel. 

The objects most frequently depicted on the vases are human 
heads, simple glyphs, animal and mythological figures, and flowers. 
Most of the vessels are polished, some of them to a high degree, but 
the art of glazing does not seem to have been understood. The finer 
kinds of pottery are thin, tough, light, and very hard. The applique 
work, displayed best in incense burners, upon which the figure of the 
god in high rehef is built up bit by bit, is rather coarse, but in some 
examples very effective. Stone implements and weapons of great 
variety have been discovered, including ax, spear, javelin, and 
arrowheads, knives, clubs, throwing stones, hammerstones, scrapers, 
chisels, borers, paint and corn grinders, fiber cleaners, and many 
others. Flint, chert, obsidian, greenstone, and limestone were the 
materials most commonly used in the manufacture of implements 
and weapons. Very remarkable eccentrically shaped objects, in- 
eluding crosses, crescents, rings, and a variety of other forms, chipped 
with great care and precision, from flint, chert, and obsidian, are 
also found, though not in great numbers. They seem to be con- 
fined almost exclusively to this part of the Maya area. 

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 

With the exception of clay whistles of from one to four notes, no 
musical instruments have been found in the mounds, unless the 
hollow cylinder (10^ inches high by 4 inches in diameter) from 
Yalloch may be regarded as a small hand drum similar to those men- 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 55 

tioned by Landa as having been in use at the time of the conquest, 1 
and somewhat resembling the clay jar with a piece of gibnut hide 
stretched over the opening for a head, still in use as a drum among 
the Lacahdones. 2 The late Sir Alfred Moloney obtained in the village 
of Succots a tunJcul, or wooden drum, with two rubber-tipped drum- 
sticks, which had been brought by the Indians from Guatemala at the 
time of their emigration from that country. This had been handed 
down from Alcalde" to Alcalde from time immemorial, and was used 
to summon the villagers on special occasions, as a fire or the election 
of new Alcaldes. 

FOOD 

The staple article of diet among the ancient Maya seems to have 
been maize, as it is at the present day among their descendants. 
Numbers of rubbing-stones and rubbers, both, broken and whole, 
are found in the mounds, as are also the clay disks used for baking 
corn cakes. The bones of various animals, which had probably been 
used for food, are also found; among these are the peccary, gibnut, 
armadillo, puma, tapir, and manatee, together with woula (snake), 
alligator, and (of birds) the curassow and wild turkey. Shells of 
the conch, cockle, oyster, and fresh-water snail are also found in 
abundance. The Maya probably kept small domestic animals and 
birds, 3 as great numbers of rough stone troughs are found in the 
mounds, precisely similar to those manufactured and used by the 
modern Maya Indians for watering their fowls, while eggs, with tur- 
keys and other birds, have been found, held in the hands of figurines 
upon the incense burners, as offerings to the gods. They seem to have 
made periodical expeditions to the cays and islands off the coast to 
fish and collect shellfish, as quantities of net-sinkers, flint chips, 
potsherds, and broken javelin heads are found on many of the cays. 
But few mounds, however, which give evidence of permanent human 
occupancy have been discovered in this situation. 

SPINNING AND WEAVING 

Judging by the great number of spindle-whorls found in the mounds 
and on village sites, cotton spinning must have been practically 
universal among the women. Oval perforated stones of a size 
suitable for loom weights have been found, and it is probable that 

1 Tienen atables pequefios que taften con la mano, y otro atabal de palo hueco de sonido pesado y triste; 
taiienlo eon un palo larguillo puesto al cabo cierta leche de un arbol. — Landa, op. cit., p. 124. 

2 The drum is composed of a clay jar about twenty inches high. Over the top of the jar is stretched a 
piece of the hide of the tepeizquinte for a head. The whole drum is painted white. On one side near the 
top there is a head similar in all respects to that found in all the sacred ollas. This head, as il has been 
explained, represents one of the lesser gods called Qaiyum.— Tozzer, A Comparative Study of the 
Mayas and the Lacandones, p. 111. 

3 Crian aves para vender de Castilla, y de las suyas y para comer. Crian paxaros para su recreacion y 
para las plumas para hazer sus ropas galanas.— Landa, op. cit., p. 190. 



56 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETIJNOLOGY [bull. 64 

they were used as such, as they do not seem to be adapted to any 
other purpose. With this exception we learn nothing of the art of 
weaving from the contents of the mounds. Henequen fiber was 
doubtless used for the manufacture of rope, mats, hammocks, and other 
objects, as grooved fiat stones for beating the pulp from the fiber are 
common. 

GAMES 

The appliances for at least two distinct games have been found. 1 
The first consists of a large spherical block of limestone, nicely 
polished, and about 1 foot in diameter, found associated with 6 to 12 
smaller spherical stones, each about 3 inches in diameter, of very light 
material somewhat resembling pumice stone. The second consists 
of a number of small disks of shell, about three-fourths of an inch in 
diameter. Collections of these have been found together on several 
occasions; they might have been used as beads. or ornaments but for 
the fact that they are neither perforated nor decorated with incised 
figures as shell beads usually are. 

RELIGION 

Of the 15 gods of the codices classified by Schellhas five may be 
recognized in this area with a fair degree of certainty. God A, the 
god of death, in the form of a human skull, decorates the outside of 
not a few small pottery vessels, and is depicted upon the painted 
stucco wall at Santa Rita. God B, the long-nosed god, is usually 
identified with Cuculcan. Representations of this god are found 
throughout the whole area in great abundance, painted upon pottery 
and stucco, incised on bone and stone, and modeled in clay. This 
god is associated with the cities of Chichen Itza and Mayapan, and is 
supposed to have entered Yucatan from the west; indeed it is possible 
that he may originally have been the leader of one of the Maya 
immigrations from that direction. He appears to have been by far 
the most popular and generally worshiped deity in this area, and it 
is his imago which is found on nearly half of all the incense burners 
discovered. God D, probably Itzamna, appears in the codices as an 
old man with a Roman nose, shrunken cheeks, toothless jaws, and a 
peculiar scroll-like ornament beneath the eye, to the lower border of 
which are attached two or three small circles. In some representa- 
tions a single tooth projects from the upper jaw, and in a few the 

1 Por lo qual se usava tener en cada pueblo una casa grande y encalada, abierta por todas partes, en la 
qual se juntavan los mogos para sus passatiempos. Jugavan a la pelota y a un juego con Unas habas como 
a los dados, y a otros muchos. — Landa, op. cit., p. 178. 

Two curious stones, which may have been used in some game, were discovered in a small burial mound 
in the Orange Walk district of British Honduras some years ago. They were made of nicely polished 
crystalline limestone, about one foot in diameter, and shaped very much like curling stones without handles. 
The upper part of each was traversed by two round holes, about one inch-in diameter, which passed com- 
pletely through the stone, near its summit, and crossed each other at right angles. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 57 

face is bearded. This god is not infrequently found associated with 
the serpent. A typical representation of him is seen upon the Santa 
Rita temple wall; 1 here he is depicted standing upon intertwined 
serpents, holding in his right hand a feather-plumed serpent. This 
god is represented upon some incense burners, and is found not infre- 
quently associated with Cuculcan. 

God K, the god with an elaborate foliated nose, often closely asso- 
ciated with God B, his face in some cases forming the headdress orna- 
ment of the latter god, is ' unmistakably depicted upon the Santa 
Rita temple wall. 2 God P, the Frog god, is found on some small 
pottery vases, and on a few incense burners. Nothing found in 
the mounds proves definitely the practice of human sacrifice in this 
area, but that it existed is almost certain, as Villagutierre refers to it 
as prevalent among the Itza of Peten at the time of their conquest, 3 
at the end of the seventeenth century, and Landa mentions it as 
occurring among the Maya at the time of the coming of the Spaniards. 4 
Near the headwaters of the Rio Hondo a mound was opened, which 
contained, in a stone-walled chamber, a number of human skulls 
unaccompanied by other bones. It is possible that these may have 
been the remains of sacrificial victims, as it was customary to remove 
the head of the victim after death, which became the perquisite of 
the priests. 

Human sacrifice among the Maya was probably a somewhat rare 
event, taking place only on extraordinary special occasions, as in 
times of public calamity — for example, during the prevalence of 
famine, war, or pestilence — when it was felt that a special pro- 
pitiatory offering to the god was called for. This practice was con- 
fined to one, or at most to a very small number of victims, never 
reaching the proportions which it did among the Aztec, by whom it 
was probably introduced into Yucatan. The main offering of the 
Maya to their gods seems to have consisted of an incense composed 
of copal gum and aromatic susbtances. Landa mentions this as 
largely employed at the time of the conquest; Villagutierre en- 
countered it among the Itza at the end of the seventeenth century; 
and Tozzer found it in use among the Lacandon Indians at the 
present day. The incense itself has been found all over this area, 
as well as great numbers of incense burners. 

1 See Nineteenth Rep. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pi. xxx, fig. 8. 

2 Ibid., pi. xxix, no. 3. 

3 A la primera vista encontraron con la Messa de los Saeriflcios, que era vna Piedra muy grande, de mas 
de dos varas y media de largo, y vara y media de ancho, con doze assientos, que la rodeavan, para los doze 
Sacerdotes, que executavan el Sacrificio.— Villagutierre, op. cit., p. 392; ibid., p. 457; ibid., 482. 

* Que sin las fiestas en las quales, para la solemnidad de ellas, se sacrificavan animalcs, tambien por alguna 
tribulacion o necessidad, les mandava el sacredote o chilanes sacrificar personas, y para esto contribuian 
todos, para que se comprasse esclavos, o algunos de devocion davan sus hijitos los quales eran muy rcgahdos 
hasta el dia y fiesta de sus personas, y muy guardados que no se huyessen o ensu/.iassen de algun carnal 
peccado, y mientras a ellos llevavan de pueblo en pueblo con vailes, ayunavan los sacerdotes y chilanes y 
otros oiliciales — Landa, op. cit., p. 164. 



58 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull, 04, gann] 

In addition to incense, the blood of fish, birds, and animals was 
smeared over the images of the gods, as an offering, together with 
human blood obtained by cutting the ears, tongue, genitals, and other 
parts of the body. The hearts of various animals, together with live 
and dead animals (some cooked and some raw) and all kinds of foods 
and drinks in use among the people, 1 were also employed as offerings 
to the gods. In the hands of figurines upon the incense burners are 
found, modeled in clay, fruit, flowers, eggs, cakes, birds, small animals, 
and other objects, all evidently intended for the same purpose. 

CHRONOLOGY 

Three distinct periods of Mayan civilization seem to be represented 
in this area. The center of the earliest of these was along the Rio 
Grande, in southern British Honduras, within 20 miles of the Guate- 
mala frontier, where the Leyden Plate was discovered, upon which 
is inscribed the earliest but one known Maya date — namely, Cycle 
8, Katun 14, Tun 3, Uinal 1, Kin 12. If the massive stone-faced 
pyramids and terraces of these ruins are contemporaneous with the 
Leyden Plate, as seems possible, they must be reckoned among 
the earliest monuments of the first, or southern Maya, civilization. 
The Benque Vicjo temple, in the extreme western part of British 
Honduras, comes next in point of time. This was almost certainly 
contemporaneous with its near neighbor, Naranjo, where the earliest 
Initial Series found is 9.10.10.0.0, and the latest 9.19.10.0.0, giving 
the city an age of at least 9 katuns, or 180 years. It will be seen that 
the difference between the Leyden tablet date and the earliest re- 
corded date at Naranjo is rather more than 16 katuns, or 320 years. 

The latest of all the sites is undoubtedly Santa Rita, which shows 
strong Mexican influence; this belongs to the second era of Maya 
civilization, which reached its highest development in Yucatan and 
the northern cities. Excluding the Tuluum Stela, the date upon 
which, 9.6.10.0.0, is almost certainly not contemporaneous, 2 the 
only Initial Series deciphered with certainty in Yucatan up to the 
present time is that at Chichen Itza, 10.2.9.1.9, nearly 3 katuns, or 
60 years, later than the latest at Naranjo; but probably the Santa 
Rita site is much later in date than this, and if we may judge by the 
objects found in the mounds in the vicinity, some of which show 
strong Spanish influence, it was occupied up to and beyond the 
conquest. 

i Mas de todas las cosas que aver podiaa que son aves del cielo, animales de la tierra, o pescados de la 
agua, siempre les embadurnavan los rostros al demonio con la sangre dellos. Y otras cosas que tenian 
ofrecian; a algunos animales les sacavan el corazon y lo ofrecian, a otros enteros, unos vivos, otros muertos, 
unos crudos, otros guisados, y hazian tambien grandes ofrendas de pan y vino, y de todas las maneras de 
comidas, y bevidas que usavan. — Landa, op. cit., pp. 162-164. 

2 Recent examination of the Tuluum Stela has brought to light upon it, in two places, the glyph rep- 
resenting the lahuntum, and the date 7 Ahau; now 7 Ahau occurs as a lahuntun ending in 10.6.10.0.0 
(approximately 695 A. D. of our era) which is almost certainly the contemporaneous date of the Stela. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



iULLETIN 64 PLATE 7 




SKETCH MAP OF BRITISH HONDURAS, WITH ADJACENT PARTS OF YUCATAN AND 
GUATEMALA INDICATING THE POSITIONS OF MOUNDS EXCAVATED 



DESCRIPTION OF MOUNDS 

Mound No. 1 

Mound No. 1 (No. 24 on the plan of Santa Rita (fig. 14), situated 
midway between Nos. 6 and 22) was conical in shape, nearly circular 
at the base, 18 feet high, and 90 feet in circumference. It was built 
throughout of large irregular blocks of limestone, the interstices being 





© 8 


Q S 














®/7 


0/ 








/W 6 

/do, 
0/3 


% 


©3 






7 JL 










"ft 


p 

28 

o. 


1 

•27 






©6 




20 


•2* 










So 
22 










*fc 












©6 












• 26 






• 






,f */2 













Fig. 14.— Plan of Santa Rita rnounds. 

filled with limestone dust and earth, forming together a sort of friable 
mortar, which rendered the whole structure nearly as compact as a 
solid block of masonry. 

Excavation near the center of the mound, at a depth of 2 feet below 
the surface, brought to light a large circular disk of roughly hewn 
limestone, 3 feet in diameter by 8 inches thick. On lifting this it was 

59 



60 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



found to cover the mouth of a bell-like cist, nearly 3 feet in diameter 
and about 5 feet in depth. On opening the cist, which was slightly 
narrower at the bottom than at the top, it was found to be nearly 
half filled with very fine brown dust, at the bottom of which lay a 
roughly made circular urn 18 inches in diameter, covered by a 
mushroom-shaped lid. 

The urn was filled to the top with small crudely executed pottery 
figurines of men and animals. There were 49 of these in all, con- 
sisting of 4 warriors, with shield and spear, 3 seated human figures, 
4 standing figures (eating and fanning themselves), 4 lizards, 4 alli- 
gators, 4 snakes, 4 birds, 4 dragon- 
like creatures, 4 tigers, and 14 quashes 
or picotes. The warriors (pi. 8) are 
represented in a crouching position, 
with the right knee and left foot 
upon the ground; each holds in the 
right hand a small spear and on the 
left forearm a, circular shield. 1 Two 
of them exhibit tusk-like objects pro- 
jecting from their mouths. The fig- 
ures are4 \ inches high; they are painted 
in red and white throughout. The 
headdress consists of a boat-shaped 
cap worn with the bow and stern pro- 
jecting over the ears. The seated 
figures (pi. 9; fig. 15) are each 6 inches 
in height; these are painted through- 
out in red, white, and green. Each 
is seated upon a low four-legged stool, 
and grasps in one hand by its greatly 
enlarged spatulate glans the project- 
ing penis, on which he is seemingly per- 
forming some sort of surgical operation with a long knife held in the 
other hand. 

The headdress consists of a mitre-like erection in front, with a 
long queue hanging down to the waist behind. Button-like labrets 
are worn on each side of the mouth in two of the figures, and all wear 
large circular ear plugs. The standing figures (fig. 16) are each 5h 
inches high, and had been painted throughout in red and white, 
though not much of the original color now remains. The headdress 
consists of a broad flat cap decorated in front with a row of circular 
beads, and on each side with a large tassel, which hangs down over 
the ear plugs. Each figure wears a small narrow maxtli and button-like 
labrets at each angle of the mouth. In one of the figures the right 

1 Tenian lancuelas cortas de un est'ado con los hierros de fuerte pedernal . . . Tenian para su defensa 
rodelas que hazian de cafias hendidas, y muy te,xidas redoudas y guarnecidas de cueros de venados. — Landa, 
op. cit., pp. 170-172. 




Fig. 15.— Figurine from Mound No. 1. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 8 




FIGURINES OF WARRIORS FROM MOUND NO. 1 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



61 



hand is extended, while the left holds a circular fan. In the other the 
forearms are flexed at right angles, with hands held open in front of 
the waist, as if about to receive something. The lizard effigies, though 
crudely made, are most lifelike representations about 6 inches in 
length. The alligators resemble very closely those taken from another 
mound at Santa Rita. 1 

The tigers and dragon-like creatures are exactly similar to those 
figured in Nos. 6 and 4 of the same plate. The bird and snake effigies 
are very crude and ill made; the former, about lh inches in length, 
represent birds in the act of flying, with wings extended. The snakes, 
each represented with a double curve in the body, are about 5J inches 





Fig. 16. — Figurines from Mound No. 1. 

in length and one-half inch in diameter; they are made of rough 
clay, painted red. The effigies of the quashes, though rough and 
crudely made, are rather vigorous and lifelike in execution. Each is 
about 3 inches long. This small arboreal animal, which, abounds in 
the district, is represented in a variety of comical positions; so well 
indeed has the artist studied his model that one can not help think- 
ing that he must have kept some of the little animals as pets, as 
many of the Maya Indians do at the present day. The figures when 
first found were so brittle that it was impossible to remove them 
from the pot without breakage, as they had been seemingly only 
sun dried. After exposure to the sun and air, however, for a few 
days they gradually hardened. 

1 Figured in Nineteenth Rep. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pi. xxxrv, No. 5. 



62 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



The only unpainted object found in the urn was a natural-size 
model of the human penis, in a state of semierection (fig. 17). This 
differed from all the other objects in that it had been fired, instead of 
merely sun dried, and is on that account much harder. Upon the 
upper surface of the glans penis are three longitudinal incisions, 
extending almost from base to apex, evidently made with a sharp- 
pointed implement while the clay was still soft. 

With these figurines a number of perforated beads of jade and 
some of a dark-red stone, all nicely polished, were found; also the 
tooth of a large alligator, perforated at the base, evidently for sus- 
pension with the beads. 

About 6 feet to the north of the center of the mound, at a depth 
of 3 feet below the surface, was discovered a small stone cist 
or chamber, 18 inches square, built of roughly cut blocks of 
limestone. Within this were found most of the bones of a male of 
medium height and fair muscular development. These bones were 

exceedingly friable, but showed no 
effects of lire; with the exception 
of the tibiae, they were in no way 
abnormal. The upper articular sur- 
face of the right tibia had disap- 
peared. The shaft was rounded in 
section, the prominent angles at the 
front and sides being obliterated. It 
was slightly bowed, with the con- 
vexity anteriorly, and was consider- 
ably enlarged, especially in its upper 
two-thirds, which were composed 
chiefly of very friable cancellous tis- 
sue, rendering the bone much lighter 
than its appearance indicated. The surface of the upper part of 
the bone was marked by the presence of a number of small 
pits or depressions. Of the left tibia only a few fragments were 
found, but so far as could be judged from these a change some- 
what similar to that observed in the right tibia had taken 
place in it. The bones and other objects found in this mound 
would suggest at first sight the possibility of the individual buried 
beneath it having suffered during life from some form of venereal 
disease, closely allied to, if not identical with, syphilis. On reading 
Landa's account 1 of two forms of ceremonial self -mutilation car- 
ried out by the Yucatecan Maya at the time of the conquest there 

1 Otras, se harpavan To superfluo del miembro vergoneoso, dexandolo como las orejas, de lo qual se engaiio 
el historiador general de las Indias, diziendo que se circumcidian. Otras vezes hazian un suzio y penoso 
sacrificio afiudandose los que lo hazian en el templo, donde puestos en rengla, se hazian sendos agujeros en 
los miembros viriles al soslayo por el lado, y heehos passavan toda la mas eantidad de hilo que podian 
quedando assi todos asldos, y ensartados; tambien untavan con la sangre de todas estas partes al demonio 
y el que mas hazia, por mas valiente era tenido. — Landa, op. cit., p. 162. 




Fig. 17— Unpainted object from MoundNo. 1. 



GANN] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 63 

can be little doubt, however, that the iiguriries shown in plate 9 and 
figure 15 are meant to represent individuals inflicting on themselves 
one or other of these, but, owing to the crudeness of the workman- 
ship, it is difficult to determine which. In one the foreskin was pierced 
and expanded in much the same way that the ears were treated 
when sacrificing to the idols. In the other, a number of men, 
sitting in a row in the temple, each pierced his glans penis from side 
to side, and passing a long piece of cord through all the apertures, 
strung themselves together in this way. 

Mound No. 2 

Mound No. 2 (No. 25 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated a 
short distance to the south of Mound No. 19. It was circular at 
the base, conical in shape, 6 feet high at its highest point, and 40 
yards in circumference. On the summit of the mound, partially 
buried in the earth, was found a conch shell, much worn by the 
weather, with the tip cut smoothly off, and still capable of being 
used as a trumpet. The surface layer of the mound was composed of 
earth, in which were embedded a few limestone blocks. Within 
this layer, which was 18 inches thick, near the center of the mound 
and a few inches beneath the surface, was found a turtle, hewn from 
a block of limestone, measuring 13 inches in length and 10 inches in 
breadth. The next layer was composed of ashes, charcoal, and 
pieces of half-charred wood. This layer, which varied from 3 to 
8 inches in thickness, extended evenly over the whole surface of the 
mound, and within it were found 16 beads of jade, two small round 
three-legged vases, and the fragments of two pottery images. The 
beads were all perforated and finely polished; two of them repre- 
sented human faces, and one the head of some animal, probably an 
alligator. One is unusually large, measuring 3f inches in length 
by | inch in breadth. 

The clay images are so fragmentary as not to be worth figuring, 
but in construction, ornamentation, and size they appear to be 
almost identical with those found in the mounds at Santa Rita, 
already described. 1 One of the vases is 3| inches and the other 2| 
inches in height; both are ovate. All the objects taken from this 
layer show traces of having been exposed to the action of fire. The 
beads are all more or less cracked and blackened, and the pottery 
images and vases are discolored. The next layer was composed of 
mortar, embedded in which were numerous pieces of limestone; it 
varied in depth from 18 inches to 2 feet. The upper part of this layer, 
to a depth of 2 to 3 inches, was yellow and very hard, and seemingly 
had been fired; the lower part was lighter in color and very friable. 
Within this layer, toward the center of the mound, was found the 

i Gann, Mounds in Northern Honduras. 



64 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



alligator effigy shown in'figure 18. This animal is 15J inches in length 
from the snout to the tip of the tail. The interior is hollow, and in 
the center of the dorsal region is a circular opening 3^ inches in diam- 
eter, surrounded by a rim 1^ inches high and covered by a saucer- 
like lid. Within the widely opened jaws is seen a human face, hav- 
ing at each corner of the mouth a small pottery disk, and in the ears 
two large circular ear plugs. 1 Between the eyes of the alligator 
are two claw-like horns, 1 inch in length, each terminating in three 
curved prongs, which point forward. Within the body were found 
two small perforated beads of polished jade. The inside of the jaws is 
colored red; the whole of the body, together with the head and limbs, 
is colore.d brown; the forehead and cheeks of the face held between 
the animal's jaws are colored blue; the nose, mouth, and chin, white. 




HL 







Fig. IS.— Clay alligator found in Mound No. 2. 

This is by far the largest and most carefully modeled of the pottery 
figurines found at Santa Rita, the smallest detail having received 
careful attention, and the scales, claws, and teeth being separately 
and accurately formed. 2 The fourth and deepest layer was 2\ feet 

1 These large round ear plugs seem to have been universally worn; they are found in the paintings, on 
figurines, and on the incensarios. The plug may be funnel shaped or flat, plain, or decorated with a stud, 
rosette, or tassel. Describing the ear ornaments worn by the Itzas, Villagutierre says: "Si bien muchos 
deellos rayadas las caras, y abujereadas las orejas. . . . Y que algunos Indios traian puestas, en las orejas 
que traia, vnas Rosas de Plata, y otros las traian de Oro; y otros de Oro, y Plata." — Villagutierre, op. 
cit., pp. 402-403. 

Landa, speaking of the Maya women, says: "Horadavanse las orejas, para ponerse zarzilloa al modo de 
sus mandos."— Landa, op. cit., p. 182. 

2 Figurines of animals with human heads projecting from their widely opened jaws are common in this 
area. The turtle, alligator, tiger, shark, and snake are usually the animals selected. Thomas says of this 
figure: "If we may judge from its use there is no doubt that the Mexican cipactli figure is a symbol of the 
earth or underworld. The usual form of the day symbol in the Mexican codices is shown in plate Lxrv, 
16, and more elaborately in plate Lxrv, 17. " [These correspond almost exactly with some of the figurines 
found.) "As proof that It indicates the earth, or underworld, there is shown on plate 73 of the Borglan Codex 
an individual, whose neart has been torn from his breast, plunging downward through the open jaws of 
the monster into the shade of the earth below. ... It is therefore more than likely that the animal indi- 
cated by the Mexican name of the day is mythical, represented according to locality by some known 
animal which seems to indicate best the mythical conception. Some figures evidently refer to the all igator, 
and others apparently to the iguana; that on plates 4 and 5 of the Dresden Codex is purely mythical." 
Thomas, Day Symbols of the Maya Year, p. 212. 

Spinden explains these part human, part animal, monsters differently. He regards the human face 
as symbolical of the human mind contained within the animal body of the god. — A Study of Maya Art, 
pp. 35 and 62. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS 01 YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 65 

in thickness, and was built of blocks of limestone, each weighing 
from 50 to 200 pounds, roughly fitted together, without clay or 
mortar to fill in the crevices. Scattered all through this layer were 
great numbers of fragments of pottery censers decorated externally 
with human figures; nearly 150 pounds of these were taken from it, 
representing probably 20 incense burners. The whole of the pottery 
when first found was exceedingly brittle, but hardened in a few hours 
on being exposed to the air and sun. At the bottom of this layer, and 
resting on the ground, were found a number of pieces of black porous 
material with a peculiar odor. The bottom of a large round pot, 10 
inches in diameter, was also found full of the same substance, which 
is probably a mixture of copal gum with various aromatic substances, 
which had been used as incense and partially charred at the bottom 
of the incense burner. Fragments of the bottoms of round pots were 
found scattered about on the ground level, many of them having bits 
of this charred incense still adhering to them. 

The mound appears to have been constructed in the following 
manner: First, a number of pieces of burning incense and round jars 
containing the same substance were strewn thickly over an area ap- 
proximately 40 yards in circumference; next a foundation or plat- 
form 2\ feet in height was formed by placing together a number of 
large rough blocks of limestone, among which were scattered the 
fragments of about 20 incense burners, decorated outside with human 
figures in high relief. Over this was plastered a layer of mortar 18 
inches to 2 feet hi thickness in which was embedded the alligator 
seen in figure 18. Fires were lighted on top of this mortar till its 
upper layers were discolored, and into the fire while still burning 
were thrown fragments of two clay images, two small oval vases, and 
a number of beads. Over the ashes and charcoal left by the fires 
earth and blocks of limestone were heaped to a height of 18 inches, 
and in this layer was buried the stone turtle already referred to; 
finally on top of the earth layer was placed a conch-shell trumpet. 

Mound No. 3 

Mound No. 3 (No. 26 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated immediately 
between Mounds Nos. 6 and 11. It was roughly circular in shape, 120 
feet in circumference and 3 feet in height. On being dug away to 
the ground level it was found to be composed of earth and small 
blocks of limestone, among which were numerous potsherds and frag- 
ments of terra-cotta images, though the latter were so small that it 
was impossible to tell how many images they represented. The pot- 
sherds varied very much, some being rough and undecorated, others 
polished and well painted in geometrical devices. Fragments of 
flint spearheads and obsidian knives were also found in this mound. 

70806°— 18— Bull. 64 5 



66 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 64 

On reaching the ground level the opening of a narrow passage 18 
inches square was discovered which led obliquely downward toward 
the east for a distance of 8 feet; it was lined with roughly squared 
flags of limestone and terminated in a small stone-lined chamber 
2 feet square. On the floor, half buried in fine dry earth, lay a small 
urn, roughly made of coarse pottery, neither painted nor glazed. It 
was circular in form, 38 h inches in circumference, with a semicircular 
handle at each side, and was covered by a mushroom-shaped lid; with 
the lid in situ the whole formed a somewhat irregular sphere. In the 
urn and almost completely filling it were 20 small pottery figurines, 
comprising 3 warriors, 1 seated human figure, 4 alligators, 4 dragons, 
6 quashes or picotes, and 2 serpent-like creatures. 

The warrior figures resemble very closely those found in Mound No. 
24 (see pi. 8), the only difference being that while two of them hold 
shields on their left forearms, and grasp spears in their right hands 
(as in pi. 8), the third warrior from this mound grasps a long dagger, 
instead of a spear, in his right hand. The seated figure is very 
similar to those from Mound No. 24 (see fig. 15), the only difference 
being that the glans penis is grasped in the left hand while the right 
hand wields the knife. The alligators are closely similar to those 
already described, except that they are solid throughout instead of 
being hollow. They are painted red, white, and black, and vary in 
length from 5£ to 6i inches. The tigers are similar to those found in 
Mound No. 24, but are rougher, and not so carefully modeled; all are 
hollow and are painted red throughout. The four dragon-like 
creatures vary from 6 to 7 inches in length; the body, which is round 
and slender, ends in a flattened bifid tail; the mouth, which is held 
wide open, is furnished with a set of formidable teeth. Upon the 
upper lip is a horn-like excrescence, and over the thorax are one 
dorsal and two lateral fins. Each animal is painted white over the 
whole surface; the inside of the mouth is painted red over the white 
layer. The six quashes are exactly similar to those found in Mound 
No. 24, as are also the two serpents. 

Mounds containing animal and human effigies appear to be singu- 
larly limited in their distribution. At Santa Rita seven have been 
explored in all, each containing 1 to 49 effigies, some very crudely 
and roughly made from sun-dried clay, others nicely modeled and 
painted in various colors. Probably several more of these mounds 
had been removed by the former owners of the estate to obtain stone 
for building and road-making purposes, as figurines similar to those 
taken from the excavated mounds were found in the possessioii of 
coolie laborers working on the estate, which they said they had 
found from time to time when digging for stone. The effigies com- 
prise figures of men, alligators, turtles, quashes, lizards, birds, sharks, 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 67 

and gnakes, together with two-headed dragons and other mythologic 
animals. Similar mounds containing animal effigies have been found 
at Douglas, about 18 miles southwest of Santa Rita; at Bacalar, 
25 miles northwest; at Corozal, less than a mile south; and near 
San Antonio, about 9 miles north of it. In each of these localities 
only a single effigy was found, the workmanship of which resembled 
so closely that of the Santa Rita specimens that it would be difficult 
to decide from which locality they had come. 

So far as it has been possible to ascertain, no similar human and 
animal effigies have been previously discovered in this section of the 
Maya area. The significance of these figurines appears to be some- 
what obscure. They are not invariably found associated with hu- 
man remains, though this may be owing to the fact that the bones 
have completely perished through decay, or because cremation has 
been practiced. They show no signs of use or wear and were evi- 
dently made only to be buried. The hollow specimens frequently 
contain one or more beads of red shell, greenstone, or clay in their 
interiors, while in most cases they have been found associated with 
fragments of pottery incense burners, which in this region seem to 
have been very commonly mortuary in use. On the whole it seems 
probable that these figurines were merely votive offerings to the 
gods, buried with the dead. Some of them may indicate the occu- 
pation of the individual with whom they were buried. A priest and 
warrior from the same mound have been described, whose occupant 
may have combined the double office, while a small statuette of an 
old man, with a macapal slung over his shoulders, by a strap passing 
across the forehead (typical of an Indian laborer of the present day), 
was found by a coolie digging out stone from a mound at Santa Rita 
many years ago. 

Mound No. 4 

Mound No. 4 (No. 7 on the plan of the Santa Rita mounds) * has 
recently been excavated, together with nearly the whole of the earth- 
work on its south side. The mound was circular at the base, conical 
in shape, 57 feet in height, 471 feet in circumference, and was built 
of blocks of limestone held together by mortar. On the south side 
of the mound and continuous with it was a circular earthwork 100 
yards in diameter. The walls inclosing the circular space varied 
from 10 to 25 feet in height. They were higher toward the north, 
where they were continuous with the large mound, and lower toward 
the south, where an opening 30 feet wide gave access to the 
inclosure. The summit of the mound was truncated, circular, and 
about 20 feet in diameter. It was covered by a layer of alluvial 

1 Figured in pi. xxxvm of the Nineteenth Rep. Bur. Amer. Ethn., as the Great Central Lookout 
Mound. 



68 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

earth 4 inches in thickness, on removing which the following objects 
were brought to light, lying on the layer immediately subjacent, 
near the center of the mound: (a) A leaf-shaped spearhead of very 
light yellow flint, 5 inches in length; (b) a leaf-shaped spearhead of 
reddish flint, 5^ inches in length; (c) an eccentrically-shaped 
flint object (fig. 19, a), 4\ inches in breadth by 2 J inches in 
depth, of light grayish flint, very neatly and carefully chipped; 
(d) a large, well-made flint arrowhead, deeply grooved on each side 
of the base, 2£ inches in length, and of light grayish color (fig. 
19, b); (e) the broken end of a roughly chipped flint hook or crescent 
(fig. 19, c). With these flint objects were found a small red-stone 
bead and a quantity of pieces of broken images, as arms, legs, faces, 
hands, breastplates, etc., in rough pottery. Below the alluvial layer 
the mound was composed of large blocks of limestone, held together 
by mortar, giving it the consistency of masonry and rendering 
digging in it very difficult. At a depth of 6 feet a small oblong 
chamber was opened, built of rough blocks of limestone, about 8 




a be 

Fig. 19. — Objects from Mound No. 4. 

feet by 3 feet, within which were found fragments of human bones, 
the head pointing to the north. At both head and feet a few very 
ro uglily chipped spearheads were found. At a depth of 10 feet 
another small chamber, 4 feet in length by 2 feet in height and 2 
feet in breadth, was opened, also composed of rough blocks of lime- 
stone. Within this were four basin-shaped vessels; two, somewhat 
larger than their fellows, were superimposed upon them (fig. 20). 
These basins were made of rough pottery, colored yellow, with a 
broad red stripe round the rim. Each was pierced by a pair of 
small round holes, 1 inch apart, repeated at equal intervals four times 
round the circumference, about one-half inch from the margin. The 
perforations in the upper vase corresponded exactly to those in the 
lower when they were discovered, suggesting that they had been con- 
nected by cords of henequen fiber, ti-li, or some perishable material 
which had disintegrated. It was considered certain that these vessels 
would contain a number of the small pottery figures which similar 
vessels from neighboring mounds had yielded. On removing the 
cover from the first one, however, it was found to contain nothing 



Gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 69 

but a small quantity of impalpable dust. The second contained 
about an equal quantity of similar dust, together with a small rough 
opal. The excavation of this mound was continued to a depth of 
about IS feet, but nothing further was discovered. 

The circular space inclosed within the earthwork was surfaced by 
a layer varying from 2 feet to 3 feet in thickness, resting on the bed- 
rock, and composed of rubble and powdered marl beaten into a 
compact mass, covered by two layers of cement, one beneath the 
other, which formed a smooth level floor over the whole inclosure. 
A great part of the earthwork and the rubble from the floor of the 
inclosed space have been removed to repair the Corozal streets. 
Nothing, however, was found within them with the exception of a 
few broken flint axheads and spearheads, some hammerstones (which 
are found practically everywhere), fragments of obsidian knives, 
and quantities of potsherds. Plate 10 shows a section through the 
earthwork in process of removal at its western extremity. 

The wall is 21 feet 8 inches in height at this point, though only 
about 17 or 18 feet are shown in the 
photograph, as the ground was filled up 
behind the men excavating by a heap 
of -limestone dust 3 or 4 feet high, left 
after the stones had been removed. The 
wall is composed here from the ground 
up of — (1) a layer of small rubble, 18 
inches in thickness, the stones compos- 
ing which had apparently been picked FlG - ^-Po^ry^is from Mound 
off the land; (2) a layer of cement, 6 to 8 

inches in thickness (the upper surface of this layer is continuous with 
the upper surface of the cement covering the inclosed space, and the 
two together evidently formed originally one continuous flat, smooth 
pavement) ; (3) a layer of large rough blocks of limestone, 8 feet in 
thickness, built in together with some care, but without the interven- 
tion of mortar (these blocks had evidently been quarried out especially 
for this purpose, as they were quite fresh and showed no signs of weath- 
ering) ; (4) a cement layer 3 feet in thickness, composed of alternate 
thin layers of bluish gray cement and thick layers of yellowish 
cement, which can be faintly seen in the photograph. At the point 
B, plate 10, were found a quantity of ashes and small pieces of charred 
wood; the large stones in the neighborhood were also blackened by 
the action of fire, and ashes were mixed with the lower part of the 
cement layer, which would seemingly indicate that a large fire, 
lasting a considerable period, had been kept up at this point on top 
of layer c before the cement capping was added. The top layer, 8 feet 
high, is composed of loose, friable mortar with rough blocks of lime- 
stone set in it irregularly and finished with a conical cap. In the 




70 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [boll. 64 

upper center of plate 10, b, may be distinguished a trench, 3 feet 
in width, which runs through the whole thickness of this layer. 
Its walls are composed of rough limestone blocks mortared together. 
The trench was completely filled in with small loose rubble similar to 
that found in layer a. 

The high, steep, solidly constructed mounds, the bases of many of 
which are connected with more or less circular earthworks, were 
probably lookouts or observation mounds. Most of these mounds 
terminate in a narrow flattened summit too small to have supported 
even the smallest temple, while many of them form the centers or 
nuclei of other groups of mounds. Few contain anything besides 
the stone, mortar, and earth of which they are constructed, though 
some of them contain superficial interments. That at Santa Rita is 
exceptional in that it includes stone-faced cysts. These mounds 
extend in a more or less regular chain along the coast of Quintana 
Roo and British Honduras, reaching from the top of Chetumal Bay 
nearly as far south as Northern River, and extending inland in a 
southwesterly direction along the courses of the Rio Hondo and Rio 
Nuevo, though many are situated at a considerable distance from 
either sea or rivers. 

Mound No. 5 

Mound No. 5 (No. 27 on the plan, fig. 14), situated about 200 yards to 
the southeast of the fortification, was 3 feet in height, 30 feet in diam- 
eter, and nearly circular. It was built of blocks of limestone, rubble, 
limestone dust, and earth. Many of these blocks had evidently been 
taken from some building, as they were well squared. About the center 
of the mound, at the ground level, a small cyst was discovered, 3 
feet long, 2 feet broad, and 1 foot high, built throughout of rough 
flags of limestone. Within it were two vases; one, shown in figure 
21, a, is of rough unpainted pottery, 4 J inches high, with a small 
earlike projection on each" side, each of which is ornamented with 
an ear plug. Vases with these earlike projections and ear plugs are 
not uncommon in this area, and are probably highly conventionalized 
incense burners. The figure of the god outside (which, as will be shown 
later on, was represented after a time by the face only) has here had 
every feature and ornament of the face eliminated with the exception 
of the ears and ear plugs, which would always be unmistakable. 

The other, seen in plate 11, is an egg-shaped vase standing on 
three short legs. It is decorated outside with a human face and was 
originally painted white throughout and ornamented with black lines. 
It has a small opening at the top covered by a triangular stopper. 
Within this vase were found two small polished beads, one of green- 
stone, the other of red shell. Throughout the mound were found 
numerous fragments of incense burners, with the small head of a 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 




ULLETIN 64 PLATE 10 



a. SECTION THROUGH EARTHWORK INCLOSING CIRCULAR SPACE. 
SANTA RITA 








b. SECTION OF WALL THROUGH SANTA RITA 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



71 



tiger, 2 birds, 5 small beads, 2 malachates, 4 net sinkers, and the 
ceremonial bar shown in figure 21, c; all in rough pottery. About 
5 feet from the northern edge of the mound were found human bones, 
representing a single interment, seemingly of a male of middle age. 
The skull and long bones, which were Yery brittle, though -they 
hardened on being exposed to the air for a day, were gotten out only 
in fragments. The molar and premolar teeth are heavily coated 
with tartar but are not greatly worn down at the crown ; the incisors, 
on the other hand, are very much worn and in life must have 
been nearly level with the gum. Marked attrition of the incisors 
seems to be present in nearly all the teeth Of individuals past 
middle life found in sepulchral mounds throughout this area, which 




d v 9 

Fig. 21. — Objects found in Mound No. 5. 

is rather remarkable, as the staple diet of the ancient inhabitants 
must have been nearly identical with that of the Indians of the 
present day; that is, maize ground to a fine paste on a stone metate, 
which of necessity contains a good deal of grit from the metate, so 
much so that the modern Maya say that an old man eats two rub- 
bing stones and six rubbers during his life. This gritty nistamal 
wears down the back teeth of the modern Maya almost to the gum, 
but does not materially affect the front teeth; yet it is the latter, 
not the former, which we find affected in maxillae from the mounds. 
One of the molar teeth from this burial has had a triangular piece 
removed from its crown (fig 21,/). Along one edge of the gap left 
the tooth is carious. 



72 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY f bull. CI 

Mingled with the human bones were found: (a) A flat, oblong ob- 
ject, made of finely polished bone, 1 inch broad and one-tenth inch 
thick. Its original length could not be determined, as the upper 
part had been broken away, (b) Three beads, one of polished green- 
stone, two of polished red shell; one of the latter was lj inches long, 
with two incomplete perforations passing through it longitudinally. 
It had probably been intended to form part of a wristlet, (c) Parts 
of three small obsidian knives which had evidently seen considerable 
use, as their edges were much chipped, (d) The curious object shown 
in figure 21, d, front view, and e, side view. It is made of cop- 
per, and was evidently used as tweezers, either for the removal of 
hair, for which purpose it would be admirably adapted, as the lower 
expanded parts of the blades when pressed together come into such 
close apposition that the smallest and most delicate hair can be 
removed by means of them; 1 or for the extraction of small thorns 
from the skin. Landa mentions the fact that the Maya were in the 
habit of removing the hairs from their chins and lips, but if this little 
implement was the only one employed for the purpose the custom can 
not have been a very common one in this locality, as no other 
similar specimen was found in any of the mounds. Passing from 
north to south through the mound, about 8 feet from its center, were 
two parallel rows of limestone flags, set perpendicularly, about 18 
inches apart. Againsjt the outer of these rows lay a considerable 
accumulation of animal bones, probably those of the tapir. In the 
space between the outer row of flags and the edge of the mound 
were found 10 oblong blocks of limestone, averaging 18 by 10 inches, 
the upper surfaces of which were hollowed out to a depth of 3 or 4 
inches. These were probably intended as water receptacles for the 
use of fowls or small animals kept about the home, as precisely sim- 
ilar small stone troughs are made and used by the modern Indians 
for this purpose. The space between the rows of flags was floored 
with mortar, but nothing was found within it. 

Mound No. 5 A 

Mound No. 5 A (No. 28 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated 
within a few yards of the opening into the circular earthwork 
attached to Mound No. 7. It was long and narrow, nowhere ex- 
ceeding 2 feet in height. It was built throughout of small limestone 
bowlders, mixed with a large proportion of black earth. The limits 
of the mound were difficult to define, as the earth of which it was 

» Landa, in mentioning the beardlessness of the Yucatecans at the time of the conquest, says it was 
reported as being brought about by applying hot cloths to the chins of the children. This seems improb- 
able. "No criavan barbas, y dezian que les quemavan los rostros sus madres con panos calientes, siendo 
nifios, por que no les naciessen, y que agora crian barbas aunque muy asperas como eerdas de tocines."— 
Landa, op. cit., p. 114. 

The pure-blood Indians of the present day have but a very scanty growth of hair on the face and pubes, 
and in some cases even the few straggling hairs which they possess are pulled out. 



Gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 78 

built had been washed down and mingled with the surrounding soil 
to so great an extent that it was almost impossible to determine where 
one began and the other ended. This mound or ridge has not as 
yet been completely explored, but in the part which has already been 
dug down two interments were found. The first was quite super- 
ficial, about 1 foot below the surface, near the eastern extremity of 
the ridge. The bones were those of a well-developed male, of rather 
unusual height and muscular development for a Maya Indian; they 
were in an exceptionally good state of preservation, though not pro- 
tected from the surrounding earth by cist or burial chamber. Un- 
fortunately, the skull was smashed into small fragments by a careless 
blow of the pickax before it was realized that a burial existed at the 
spot. The body appeared to have been buried lying upon the right side, 
with the legs flexed at the knees and thighs. From one of the incisor 
teeth a quadranglar piece had been cleanly removed (fig. 21, g) . 
Unfortunately, the tooth in contact with it on the other side could not 
be found, so that it was impossible to ascertain whether a correspond- 
ing piece had been removed from this also. The tooth was much 
worn at the cutting edge. Landa describes a grinding down of the 
teeth to a sawlike edge, for ornamental purposes, practiced by the 
Yucatecans at the time of the conquest, 1 and it seems probable that 
this tooth was operated on for a similar purpose. 

With the bones were found: (a) An oblong piece of marble-like 
stone, 2 inches long, 1£ inches broad, and 1 inch deep, polished on 
all its surfaces, probably used for smoothing or burnishing; (b) what 
appeared to be a piece broken from a rubbing stone which had been 
squared, and which showed marks on its upper surface indicating 
that it had been used for giving an edge to stone implements; (c) 
fragments of rough unpainted pottery. 

The second interment was that of a child 8 to 10 years of age. 
The site of this burial was within a few feet of the first, at a depth 
of about a foot below the surface. The bones, which were in a fair 
state of preservation, were in contact with the earth of which the 
mound was built. The corpse appeared to have been laid on the 
side, with the legs drawn up. With the bones were found only a 
few ornaments broken from pottery incense burners, as ear plugs, 
small animal heads, and part of a quilted breastplate. 

This mound was probably of a much later date than the other 
mounds described at Santa Rita. It is merely an irregular ridge 
built of earth and stones, while the earlier mounds just referred to 
are well defined and constructed of blocks of limestone with rubble, 
limestone dust, and mortar filling in the interstices. The bones, 

1 "Tenian por costumbre acerrarse los dientes dexandolos como diente de sierra y esto tenian por galan- 
teria, y hazian este officio viejas, limandolos con ciertas piedras y agua."— Landa, op. cit., p. 182. Simi- 
larly filed teeth have been discovered at Copan and in caves at Loltun. See Joyce, Mexican Archaeology, 
p. 294. 



74 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



though placed' under the most unfavorable conditions, having 
been in direct contact with the damp earth, are in an excellent 
state of preservation, far better, indeed, than even the best preserved 
of those in the other mounds where the conditions are decidedly 
more favorable. The skeletons of children are practically never 
found in the other mounds, as the bones have long since disappeared 
completely, while here we find the bones of a child under 12 years 
of age in a fairly good state of preservation. There are a number of 
these sepulchral ridges at Santa Rita, many of them hardly distin- 
guishable from the surrounding soil; they are all seemingly of much 
more recent date than the other mounds, and are probably the work 
of Maya Indian tribes who flourished long after the conquest. 




• ~i ~r' ■» £1° 



capping OF EARTH 



/flTERNAT/^O LAYERS 
OF A70RTAR A/VO 
SMALL RUBBLE 



BASE" OF- MOUND 



Fig. 22.— Diagram of Mound No. 6. 



Mound No. 6 



Mound No. 6 was situated near the southwestern boundary of Santa 
Rita. The mound was nearly circular, with flattened top, 25 yards in 
diameter, and 10 feet high at its highest point. Toward the southern 
side of the mound was unearthed a wall (fig. 22, A) 2 feet thick, 
2 feet high, and about 15 yards long. From the. ends of the wall 
roughly made masses of limestone and mortar (fig. 22, BB) passed 
almost through the mound, inclosing a rectangular space, C. The 
wall was evidently the remains of an older structure, as it was 
built of well-squared stones and had been broken down at both the 
top and sides. The masses of masonry (fig. 22., BB) were 5 to 6 feet 
thick by about 5 feet high. The space C was filled with alternating 
layers of mortar and small rubble. The spaces (fig. 22, FFF) at the 
periphery of the mound were filled with rubble mixed with earth. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



SULLETIN 64 PLATE 12 




METATES AND BRAZOS FROM MOUND NO. 6 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



5ULLETIN 64 PLATE 13 




a. SMALL POTTERY SEAL 




b. BOWL IN WHICH SKULL WAS FOUND 







• 


J9 


M 1 '* 





c. SKULL 
Length, 15.9 era.; breadth, 1.3.9 cm.; height, 13.3 cm.; circumference, -17.9 era. 



gannI MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 75 

The rubble, wherever found in the mound, contained large quanti- 
ties of potsherds, together with flint chips and a few hammerstones. 
In the spaces FFF were found numerous fragments of metates and 
brazos, with one unbroken specimen of each (pi. 12). At the points 
marked (fig, 22, 1, 2, 3, 4) four human interments were encountered at 
a depth of 12 to 18 inches beneath the surface. The bodies had been 
buried lying on the back, fully extended. The bones were in a very 
poor state of preservation, and with each interment were found a few 
flint chips, hammerstones, broken spearheads, obsidian knives, and 
one or two small, very roughly made, round cooking pots. The whole 
mound was removed to provide material for the Corozal streets. On 
reaching the ground level it was found that a series of trenches 
had been cut through the earth beneath, to the bedrock, and filled in 
with small rubble. Figure 23 gives a plan of these trenches, which are 
in the form of two parallelograms, measuring 9 yards by 6 yards, 
joined by a third of approximately the same area. The trenches 
varied from 3 to 4 feet in breadth and from H to 3^ feet in depth, 
according to the thickness of the layer of earth over the bedrock. 
The space marked figure 23, A, contained remains of at least 30 
interments; some of these were in small semicircular excavations 
made in the surrounding earth from the sides of the trenches ; these are 
shown at figure 23, D; others were made in holes dug in the earth 
at various points within the space A. The bodies buried in the ex- 
cavations at the sides of the trenches seem to have been crowded in, 
in a variety of positions, in order to accommodate themselves to 
the size and shape of the cavity. Most of those in the space A 
had been buried head downward, the skulls resting in some cases 
in earthenware bowls, with the back bent, legs flexed, and knees 
drawn up against the chin. Nearly all these bones were decayed 
and friable, and could not be removed without crumbling away. 
The only exception was the burial marked figure 23, D', from which 
the upper part of the skull was recovered almost entire, though 
the facial bones and lower jaw were lost. This skull (pi. 13, c) 
rested in the bowl shown in plate 13, b, a handsome piece of pottery, 
standing upon four nearly globular hollow legs, with slits in their 
sides, and within them small spheres of clay which rattled when 
the bowl was moved. It is painted yellow and red throughout, 
and is nicely polished. A great number of objects were found 
accompanying the bones in the space A. These included flint 
ax heads and spearheads, flint scrapers, and hammerstones, two 
obsidian spearheads, and fragments of obsidian knives, shell and 
clay beads, and a small cylindrical pottery seal about 3 inches 
in length, with a geometrical device in low relief stamped upon 
it (pi. 13, a). The bones of the peccary, curassow, snake, and of 
some variety of fish were also found, together with the shells of 



76 



BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



conches, cockles, snails, and hooties (a large variety of fresh- 
water snail still eaten by the natives). A block of crystalline lime- 
stone, 18 inches long by 8 inches high and 12 inches broad, was 
found in one of the semicircular pits leading from the trench at 
the upper border of space A, figure 23. It was traversed by 14 longi- 
tudinal grooves on its upper, surface, which was slightly concave; 
each groove was £ inch broad by | inch deep, quite smooth, and 
nearly straight. The stone had seemingly been used as a hone for 
giving an edge to small stone implements. 








M flat 

M $* 



K&2J 

Fig. 23.— Diagram of trenches in Mound No. 6. 



Extending out toward the northeast from the main mound was a 
low structure (fig. 22, G) 4 feet in height and 25 yards in length. 
It was composed throughout of layers of clay, rubble, and 
limestone dust, not very clearly separated. Three separate inter- 
ments were found beneath this mound near its center (fig. 22, H), 
the bones in all of which were very much decayed. From the first 
of these the shallow bowl (fig. 24, a), 7£ inches in diameter by 
1J inches deep, together with the vase d, 8 inches in height, were 
taken. The vase was of rather fine pottery, painted a uniform 
dark red throughout. Nothing else was found with this interment. 



GANN] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



77 



From the second grave were taken a bowl exactly similar to 
that, shown in figure 24, a, two flat dishes 12 inches in diameter 
(fig. 24, e), and a small polished bone ring 1 inch in length, seemingly a 
section from one of the larger long bones of some large animal. The 
vessel g, 6 inches i'n diameter, was also found with this burial; it is 
made of fine pottery, painted red, and possesses a curious upturned 
spout, which bends inward toward the rim of the pot to such an 
extent that it would be impossible either to drink or pour out the 
contents therefrom. These curious pots, usually with the spout 
parallel to the perpendicular axis of the vessel, are quite common 




Fig. 24.— Bowls, vases, and dishes found in Mound No. 6. 

among Maya pottery from this district ; they were supposed to have 
been used as chocolate pots, but drinking from them must have 
been a feat of legerdemain. 

From the third grave came two bowls, both almost spherical, the 
one 12 inches, the other 6 inches, in diameter (fig. 24, c). At the 
point K, near the end of the mound G (fig. 22), three interments 
were found, very close together, on the ground level; these had 
evidently been contained at one time in a small oval cist, built of 
rough blocks of limestone, which had now completely caved in. With 
the bones were found the vases shown in figure 24, b,f, h, of the same 
red-painted pottery as was found elsewhere in the mound. Six well- 
made bone awls, or lance heads, each about 6 inches in length, 



78 



BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



together with a heap of the shells of some large bivalve, one of which 
was polished and perforated for use as an ornament, were also found 
among these bones. The stones of which the cist had been built, 
the bones, and the objects accompanying them were so inextricably 
mixed that it was impossible to tell which objects belonged to each 
set of bones. Passing through the long axis of this mound was a 
rubble-filled trench, 3 feet in breadth, dug down to the bedrock, 

exactly similar in structure to those already 
described. No interments were found at the 
sides of this trench, which is shown in figure 
23, E. 

Mound No. 6 A 

Mound No. 6 A, another of the group of 
mounds adjoining the southwesterly bound- 
ary of Santa Rita, measured 18 feet by 15 
feet at the base, by about 3 feet high at the 
highest point, and was built throughout of 
earth, large blocks of limestone, and limestone dust. The mound 
rested directly on the limestone formation. Into this, near the cen- 
ter of the mound, an oval excavation had been made (see C C, fig. 




Flag of limestone shown in D, fig. 25 




Fig. 25.— A, skul]; B. limestone formation; C, excavation; D, grooved flag in situ; E, projecting lip. 

25) about 10 inches in depth, and in size just large enough to con- 
tain the skull which was found within it. A ledgelike projection 
was left at one edge of the excavation (see E, fig. 25), and just 
beneath this rested the point of the jaw. A large heavy flag of lime- 
stone (see D, fig. 25), from which a semicircular segment had been 
chipped, was placed above the excavation opposite the lip, so that 
the groove in the stone inclosed the neck and clamped the skull 






GANN] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 79 

tightly down in the little hole which had been made to receive it. 
On each side of the skull the femora were found, in a nearly vertical 
position, condyles downward, and between the femora many frag- 
ments of other bones were brought to light, including the tibiae, arm 
bones, and vertebrae. Resting upon the limestone flag which covered 
the skull lay a large, rudely made chert hammerstone, 8 inches long 
by 4 inches broad, which had probably been used in chipping out 
the semicircular groove to fit the neck. Near the center of this mound, 
2 feet below the surface, two very neatly made flint hammerstones 
were found. The dimensions of this skull were: Length, 14.22 cm.; 
breadth, 16.76 cm.; circumference, 48.26 cm.; cephalic index, 123. 
The base of the skull was so much damaged that the height could 
not be ascertained. The extreme breadth in comparison with the 
length, giving it a remarkably brachicephalio appearance, was possi- 
bly, to some extent at least, the result of post-mortem compression 
from before backward within the little cavity which contained it. 

Mound No. 7 

Mound No. 7, situated very close to No. 6 A, was oval in shape, 
measuring 30 yards by 10 yards at the base, and 8 feet high along 
the summit. It was built throughout of large blocks of limestone, 
limestone dust, and a small proportion of earth. It rested upon the 
natural limestone formation, into which, near the western end of the 
mound, a shallow oval pit 18 inches in length by 10 inches in depth 
had been dug. In this was found a somewhat imperfect skull, resting 
with the foramen magnum uppermost. The other bones, which were 
distributed irregularly around the hole, were in a poor state of preser- 
vation. Upon one side of the skull lay a small shallow bowl, with 
four hollow legs, each containing a pellet of dry clay loose in its 
interior; and upon the other side a small three-legged vase. Both of 
these were of rather crude pottery, painted dark-red throughout and 
polished. Two other excavations similar to this were found in the lime- 
stone beneath this mound, each containing fragments of a skull in a 
very advanced state of decay, surrounded by fragments of the other 
bones. No additional pottery or other objects were found beside 
them. The two mounds last described are the only ones in which 
this peculiar method of interment appears to have been employed. 
The procedure seems to have been somewhat as follows: First, the 
earth cappmg was removed from the limestone rock, over the area to 
be occupied by the mound; next, shallow oval pits were dug in the 
rock into which the skulls were wedged ; each body was bent, and the 
thighs were flexed on the abdomen, so that the knees touched the 
rock on each side of the head; finally, the mound was built up of 
limestone dust, earth, and blocks of limestone around the body, in 
this position. 



80 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



Mound No. 8 



[BULL. 64 



Mound No. 8, situated very close to Mound No. 7, was roughly 
circular, 36 feet in diameter and 4 feet high on its flattened top. It 
was built throughout of earth, limestone dust, and blocks of lime- 
stone. Projecting from the western edge of the mound was a large, 
roughly hewn block of limestone, 3 feet by 4 feet, and 8 inches in 
thickness. Running through the center of the mound from east to 
west Were two parallel rows of limestone flags, 2 feet apart, projecting 
18 inches from the limestone rock upon which the mound was erected 
and in which they were embedded. Near the center of the mound, 
between the rows of limestone flags and resting on the earth, covered 
only with limestone dust, was found a single interment. The skull 
is shown in plate 14. Its dimensions are: Length, 17.01 cm.; 
breadth, 16.51 cm.; height, 10.68 cm.; circumference, 51.30 cm.; 
cephalic index, 97. The body, which was stretched at full length, 
had probably been laid face downward, as the bones of the forearms, 
also shown in plate 14, were found beneath the skull. With the 




Fig. 26. — Circular openings leading into natural cavity. 

bones of the hands were found four copper rings, considerably 
oxidized; three were plain narrow bands, while the fourth was a 
broad flat band decorated with incised double volutes. Some of the 
phalanges were colored a bright-greenish tinge, from contact with the 
rings. Three of the rings and three phalanges are shown in plate 
14. These bones were all in a remarkably good state of preservation, 
probably owing to the fact that they were completely surrounded by 
fine limestone dust. 

Within a few yards of this mound was the opening of a small 
chultun, with steps leading to the interior. It was oval in shape, 
15 feet long, and at one time had been covered with plaster, which 
had nearly all peeled off. The floor was covered with earth, of 
which there was a pyramidal heap under the opening. Nothing 
was found in this chultun except great quantities of fragments of 
large, rough earthenware water vessels. 

About 300 yards to the east of the mound three circular openings 
were found (see AAA, fig. 26) leading into a large irregular natural 
cavity (see C,fig. 26) formed in the limestone (see BB, fig. 26). Each of 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 14 




SKULL AND BONES FROM MOUND NO. 

1 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 81 

these openings was about 2 feet in diameter, and close to one of them 
a circular slab of stone, 6 inches in thickness, and of about the same 
diameter as the opening, was found, which had probably been used 
as a cover for the latter. This chultun, unlike the first one, was of 
purely natural formation; the walls, which were rough and irregular, 
showed no signs of tool marks. The chamber varied in height from 
8 to 9 feet beneath the openings, where it was highest, to 2 to 3 feet 
at the sides. There was a considerable accumulation of earth upon 
the floor (see DD, fig. 26), which had evidently fallen and been blown in, 
as it was collected in two heaps beneath the openings. There were 
no stone steps leading down into this chultun, and access must have 
been gained to the interior by means of wooden ladders, which had 
long since disappeared. Numbers of potsherds, shells, pieces of 
charcoal, clay beads, and fragments of flint and obsidian implements 
were found upon the floor. Several skeletons of small mammals 
were also found among the earth, but these creatures had probably 
fallen in after the chultun ceased to be used, and had been unable 
to get out. 

At a distance of less than half a mile from the last-mentioned chultun 
another was discovered under somewhat curious circumstances. A 
large flat mound was completely removed for the sake of the stone 
and limestone dust which it contained, to be used in repairing the 
Corozal streets. About the center of the mound, at the ground 
level, a heavy circular flag of limestone, 2 feet 4 inches in diameter, 
was brought to light. On removing this it was found to cover a 
round well-like opening, which expanded below into a small chultun, 
12 feet long by 9 feet in greatest diameter. The chamber was egg- 
shaped and showed no signs of having ever been stucco-covered. 
From the opening a short flight of steps, cut in the rock, led to 
the bottom of the chultun. Nothing was found in this chultun with 
the exception of two small bowls of rather coarse earthenware, 
painted red and polished; one almost globular in shape, 6 inches in 
diameter; the other circular, flat-bottomed, 3^ inches in height. The 
mound which covered this chultun appeared to have been one of the 
commonest kind of burial mounds. At its summit fragments of a 
rude circular earthenware pot were found, and near its center frag- 
ments of human bones, together with three flint hammerstones and 
two small round vessels, one of light yellow, the other of yellowish-red, 
pottery. 

One of the most remarkable of the chultuns found in this area is 
situated at San Andres, within a mile of the village of Corozal. It 
was accidentally found by some coolies in digging marl, and as, 
unfortunately, the entire roof of the larger chamber and a consider- 
able part of that of the smaller had caved in, it was impossible to 
70806°— 18— Bull. 64 6 



82 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

discover how it had been entered from outside, as no trace of steps 
remained. A ground plan of this cJiultun is shown in figure 27. The 
small chamber, A, is 8 feet long, 7 feet broad, and 5 feet 6 inches 
high in the center; it is cut out of solid rock. The large chamber 
(C) is 15 feet in diameter, but as nearly the entire roof has fallen 
in, it is impossible to estimate its exact height. The chambers are 
partially separated by a wall (B) built of rough blocks of stone and 
tough mortar, which has been partly broken down. In the side of 
the small chamber, opposite the wall, are three oblong shafts (D, D, D, 
fig. 27) cut into the rock, by the side of the chamber wall, which 




Ik.. 27. — Ground plan of chultun. 

is here nearly perpendicular. Each of these is about 1 foot in depth 
by 8 to 9 inches in breadth, and is separated from the chamber by 
a single row of bricks (E, E, E, fig. 27) mortared together, reach- 
ing from the roof to the floor, so that there is no communication 
between the shafts and the chamber. Each shaft opened origi- 
nally on the surface of the ground, but the openings had become 
blocked by vegetable refuse from the surrounding bush. The bricks 
which fill in one side of each shaft are of two kinds. The first, by 
far the more numerous, are made of sun-dried clay, yellowish in color, 
and very friable; they contain considerable powdered marl. They 
measure 8 by 4 by 2 f inches. The bricks of the second kind also 
are made of clay, mixed with many pebbles; they have been fired, 
are of a reddish color, far harder and tougher than the first variety; 
they measure 8 by 4 by 2\ inches. Nothing was found in either 
chamber except a few potsherds of various kinds. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 83 

These underground chambers, or chultuns, seem to be fairly com- 
mon throughout Yucatan. Considerable doubt exists as to the uses 
to which they were put. 1 It seems probable that those the walls of 
which were plastered with an impervious, cement lining were intended, 
as water receptacles, since they could easily have been filled by 
drainage from the thatched roofs of buildings in the \icinity, which 
have long since completely disappeared. Though the southern part of 
Yucatan, unlike the northern, is fairly well watered, plastered chultuns 
are not infrequently found there, but always situated at consider- 
able distances from a good permanent water supply, as a lagoon 
or river. The uncemented chultuns would not hold water, and had 
probably been used as storehouses for corn and other provisions. 
Some of these chambers were undoubtedly used as burial places, as one 
at Platon, on the Old River, 2 was covered by a burial mound, and itself 
contained human bones ; but it is possible that their use for this purpose 
may have been secondary only. The San Andres chultun is somewhat 
puzzling, as it was certainly not a reservoir for water, nor were any 
traces of human burial found within it. It had probably been used as 
a storehouse for food, though it is difficult to understand the object 
of the oblong shafts, leading into the open air, found at the side of the 
smaller chamber, as they must have been quite useless for ventilating 
purposes, not having any opening into the chamber itself through 
which the air might circulate. 

Mound No. 9 

Mound No. 9, situated close to the chultun, with three openings, 
was oval in shape with flattened summit, 44 feet in breadth, 66 feet 
in length, and 14 feet high at its highest point. On removing the 
summit of the mound to a depth of about 4 feet the floor of a building, 
with parts of the walls, was exposed. The cap of the mound, covering 
the ruins of the building, was composed of blocks of marl, clay, 
rubble, and limestone. The lower part of the mound, upon which 
the building stood, was constructed of large blocks of limestone mor- 
tared together, forming a solid block of masonry. The building was 
in a very ruinous condition; as much of its ground plan as could be 

1 Tozzer, in commenting on these chultuns at Nakum, says: " There is evidently no close connection, 
as in Yucatan, between the water supply and these underground rooms. In fact they are frequently found 
near sites where there is an abundant supply of water throughout the year. In almost no case do we find 
any drainage into them. They are usually found on ground slightly higher than that of the surrounding 
country. In this respect they differ from those in Yucatan. Another point against their use as storage for 
water is shown in the fact that in several the rock from which they are excavated is porous, and the walls 
do not seem in all cases to have been covered with an impervious layer of plaster. That they were used in 
some cases for the storage of maize and other foods is possible, as they are generally dry and would be suitable 
for such a purpose. That some were used for burial places is very probable." — Tozzer, A Preliminary 
Study of the Prehistoric Ruins of Nakum, Guatemala, p. 191. 

2 Gann: On Exploration of Two Mounds in British Honduras, pp. 430-434; On the Contents of Some 
Ancient Mounds in Central America, pp. 308-317. 



84 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



traced is shown in figure 28. The walls, A, A, A, are 3 feet 4 inches 
in thickness. Such parts as remain standing are built of well-squared 
stones held together by mortar (see fig. 30). They are covered with 

stucco inside, which is con- 
rtooR or hard polished b _ tinuous with the cement floor- 
ing of the rooms; outside they 
were also covered with stucco 
above the water table (B,figs. 28 
and29) butnearlyallof thishad 
been broken away. The water 
table, which projects 3 inches 
from the wall, is 12 inches deep; 
it is built of well-squared 
stones not covered with stucco, 
and is continuous below (figs. 

29 and 30) with C, a layer of 
hard cement IS inches broad, 
winch apparently ran com- 
pletely round the building, and 
possibly acted as a drain to 
carry off the water-after heavy 
tropical showers. The main 
room was 8 feet in breadth 
and had probably been about 

30 feet in length, with four 
doors opening into it, two on 
each side. This was floored 
with very hard, smooth, pol- 
ished cement, which even now 
is in an excellent state of pres- 
ervation; this flooring is con- 
tinuous through the doorways 

with the top of the water table, with which it is on the same level. 

Nothing was found in excavating this mound, with the exception of a 

fragment of a conch-shell trumpet, a piece of 

an obsidian knife, numerous potsherds, and 

half of a flint paint grinder, with traces of 

green paint still adherent to it. All of these 

objects were found on the floor of the main 

room. 

Mounds erected over the ruins of buildings 
are extremely common all through this part 
of the Maya area; some are very large, covering buildings wluch 
had been placed on lofty stone pyramids; some are very small, 
as when they cover buildings of a single small room, built almost 




FIG. 2S.— Ground plan of Mound No. 9. 




Fig. 29. 



-Wall construction of 
Mound No. 9. 



gakn] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN" AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



85 



on the ground level. All the buildings are in ruins, all. are raised 
more or less on stone platforms above the ground level, and all 
show traces of having been covered with stucco, both internally and 
externally. In some cases this stucco is very beautifully decorated 
in colored devices, as in the mound already described at Santa Rita; 1 
in others the stucco is molded in various designs and ornaments, 
which may or may not be colored, as in the mound at Pueblo Nuevo 
on the Rio Nuevo, presently to be described. Most of these mounds 
contain nothing except the building winch they cover, but some had 




Fig. 30.— Details of Mound No. 9. 

been used as burial places, the interments evidently having taken 
place after the building had been covered in, as they are found 
irregularly distributed through the loose superstructure which forms 
the cap of the mound, quite close to the surface. 2 

1 Gann, Mounds in Northern Honduras, pp. 666-680. 

2 The interments which are found, superficially placed in mounds which cover buildings, were probably 
of later date, as Landa distinctly states that the owner was buried within his house. " Enterravanlos 
dentro en sus casas o a las espaldas dellas" fXanda, op cit., p. 196). Moreover, more than one of these 
superficial interments are found in mounds covering buildings, and, lastly, human remains have been 
found beneath the floors of ruined houses, where one would naturally expect to find them. 



86 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [boll. 64 

Mound No. 10 

Vague reports had been in circulation for some years as to the 
existence of a mound close to the headwaters of the Rio Hondo, 
where the Indians still practiced to some extent their ancient 
religion. It was said that the mound contained a stone chamber in 
which stood on a stone pedestal a life-sized image, painted in various 
colors, and that around the walls of the chamber were niches in which 
rested life-sized stone turtles, also painted; furthermore, that the 
bush Indians of the neighborhood were in the habit of coming to the 
mound for the purpose of burning incense before the idol. 

The mound was found situated quite close to the bank of the Rio 
Hondo, buried in the bush which covers this part of Yucatan. It was 
80 feet in height, 350 feet in circumference, conical in shape, and com- 
pletely covered by high bush continuous with that of the surround- 
ing forest. After clearing the underbrush from the mound an open- 
ing 3 feet square was discovered about 17 feet from the summit 
of the mound on its northern aspect, the walls of which were faced 
with cut stone. From this opening a low passage led to a small 
stone-faced chamber 8 feet high, 6 feet broad, and 10 feet long, the 
floor of which was composed of earth and lime well beaten down to 
form a hard, smooth surface. Projecting from the walls were eight 
small stone brackets, upon which nothing was found. No trace 
whatever was seen of a painted image or of turtles. The walls and 
ceiling of the room, especially the latter, were considerably blackened 
by smoke, possibly caused by burning incense. 

Excavation was commenced at once in the floor of the chamber. 
At a depth of 8 inches the hard floor gave place to soft brown sand, 
which was continuous to a depth of 2 feet, where several small deposits 
or pockets of lime were found inclosed within it, each of which con- 
tained a number of obsidian knives and small cores. The knives were 
deeply indented on each side of the base, as if to facilitate hafting. 
The cores, of which 20 were found, were slender and varied from 1 to 
3 inches in length. On digging down through an additional 18 inches 
of the brown sand a layer of lime was exposed about 18 inches in 
thickness, filling the entire lumen of the chamber, in which were found 
irregularly scattered 60 cruciform objects, finely chipped in obsidian, 
each from 3 to 4 inches in length (fig. 3 1 , a) . These would have served 
as either arrowheads or small javelin heads, or possibly were intended 
for ceremonial purposes only. With them were a single pottery vase 
and two small triangular javelin heads of obsidian. The vase (fig. 3 1,6) 
was circular in shape, 6 inches in diameter, with a long piglike face 
protruding from one side. It was made of dark-brownish pottery, 
painted red and finely polished externally. It was filled with small 
mussel-like bivalve shells embedded in lime. A number of the^e 



cann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 87 

shells were found also closely adjacent to the vase in the lime which 
surrounded it. Beneath the layer of lime lay a layer of brown 
sand, 3 feet thick, in which absolutely nothing was found. Below 
this appeared another layer of lime, mixed with sand, 4 feet thick, 
near the bottom of which were found 40 human skulls, neatly disposed 
in rows. These, when first uncovered, seemed to be in a moderately 
good state of preservation, but when removed from their bed of lime 
and sand they crumbled so easily that it was found impossible to 
preserve them. The skulls were all placed in the same horizontal 
plane, each one nearly in contact with its neighbor. No other bones 
were found with them, or in fact in any other part of this 
mound, with the exception of two small oblong objects of bone, 
about 2 inches in length, each still bearing traces of paint, which 
were discovered among the skulls. These skulls would seem to 
have been either the result of secondary interments or the re- 
mains of sacrificial victims whose bodies were either eaten or 
buried elsewhere. In favor of the first theory is the fact that 




a b 

Fig. 31. — Obsidian object and pottery vase from Mound No. 10. 

the Maya did not practice human sacrifice to anything like the 
same extent that their neighbors, the Aztecs, did, and slaughter 
involving forty-odd victims must have been practically unknown 
among them. Furthermore, in one or two instances small shallow 
stone-lined graves, covered with large slabs of stone, have been found 
at and around the bases of large mounds, and it seems quite possible 
that these graves may have held the bodies of distinguished dead until 
their skulls were in a fit condition to be removed to the mound or 
until a sufficient number had accumulated to make it worth while 
opening the chamber for their reception. In favor of the second 
theory is the fact that, judging by what could be seen of the teeth 
and lower jaws, all the skulls were of individuals in the prime of life, 
no jaws of very young or of very old individuals being discovered. 
Immediately beneath the skulls were unearthed 12 objects of chert 
fashioned with great care. Seven of these were spearheads, the other five 
of eccentric form. The spearheads varied in length from 37 cm. (pi. 15, c) 
to 29 cm. (pi. 15,/) ; they were very well made, some from gray, others 



88 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. (54 

from brownish-yellow, chert. The eccentric flints comprised : (a) An 
animal form, possibly meant to represent a bush rabbit, 30 cm. in 
length from the forehead to the tip of the tail (pi. 15, a); (b) an 
animal form, evidently meant to represent a turtle or tortoise, 28 
cm. in length from the head to the tip of the tail (pi.* 15, g) ; (c) a 
halberd-shaped implement (pi. 15, b), exquisitely chipped from light- 
ocher-colored chert, 44 cm. in its greatest length by 19 cm. in breadth 
across the widest part of the head. This implement is furnished with 
two sharp-pointed cutting projections in front, separated by a groove; 
at the back is a larger triangular sharp projection. The whole imple- 
ment is well balanced, for use in the hand, by a bulging or thickening 
of its body between these three projections; (d) an implement chipped 
from yellowish chert, 44 cm. in length, serrated on each side, pointed 
at one end and rounded at the other (pi. 15*, d) ; (e) a crescentic imple- 
ment, chipped from yellowish chert, 26 cm. in its greatest length, 
17£ cm. across the widest part of the crescent. From the convexity 
of the crescent project three spines, the central one long and serrated, 
the lateral ones merely pointed knobs. This object is more crudely 
chipped and less symmetrical than any of the others (pi. 15, e). 

These eccentrically shaped flint and chert objects seem to be 
limited in their distribution to that part of the Maya area comprised 
in southern Yucatan, eastern Guatemala, and most of the colony of 
British Honduras. The earliest known specimens are probably those 
now preserved in the Salisbury Museum, England, which have been 
thus described: 

Among the numerous stone weapons and implements which have been discovered, 
and serve to illustrate the primitive arts of the New World, three remarkable relics 
from the Bay of Honduras, in South America, are deserving of special attention. 
They were found about the year 1794, with other examples, in a cave between two 
and three miles inland. * * * One is a serrated weapon, pointed at both ends, 
measuring 16| inches long. [This object is almost exactly similar to plate 15, d, except 
that the latter is pointed at one end only, the opposite one being rounded.] Another 
is in the form of a crescent, with projecting points. It measures 17 inches in its 
greatest length, and it is conjectured may have served as a weapon of parade, like 
the state partisan or halbert of later times. The third, which is imperfect, has prob- 
ably resembled' the previous one in general form. 1 

The second of these implements very closely resembles that shown 
in plate 15, e, the Salisbury specimen being somewhat larger, more 
symmetrical, and more carefully chipped. 

About 3 feet beneath these flint objects, embedded in the sand 
which filled this part of the chamber, were discovered 20 cruciform 
obsidian arrowheads or javelin heads, similar to that shown in figure 
31, a; 40 small obsidian cores; 2 obsidian arrowheads, of the shape 
shown in figure 32; 12 well-made obsidian knives, grooved on each 

1 From Wilson, Daniel, Prehistoric Man, vol. I, pp. 214-15, Cambridge and London, 1S62; quoted by 
Stevens, Edward T., in Flint Chips. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



SULLETIN 64 PLATE 15 




STONE OBJECTS FROM MOUND NO. 10 



Cann] MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



89 




Fig. 32. — Obsidian arrowhead 
from Mound No. 10. 



side of the base, and two crescentic objects chipped from chert, 
somewhat resembling that seen in plate 15, e, but smaller, without 
projecting spines at the convexity of the crescent, and altogether 
more crudely and carelessly made. 

After the sand and lime had been removed from this chamber to 
a depth of nearly 30 feet it was found that the walls became continuous 
with the solid foundation of masonry upon 
which the mound stood. This was very dim- 
cult to penetrate, and so far as was ascertained 
contained nothing further of interest. The 
roof of the chamber was next attacked from 
the summit of the mound. To a depth of 
nearly 2 feet nothing was found but fine, brown 
alluvial soil, full of the roots of plants and 
trees. Beneath this the real structure of the 
mound began, for not so much as a solitary 
potsherd or chip of flint was found in the earth 
on the summit of the mound, indicating clearly that this layer had 
accumulated since its construction. Beneath the earth layer, to 
the roof of the chamber, the mound was composed of blocks of lime- 
stone of varying size, loose friable mortar, and powdered limestone. 
In the first 8 feet nothing except a few potsherds was found. At 
this depth two shallow circular saucers, each 7h cm. in diameter, 
were unearthed. These were made of coarse 
red unpainted pottery, and close to them lay a 
finely chipped flint object (fig. 33, a, b). This 
was rounded at both ends, narrower at the 
handle than at the base, and markedly con- 
vex on its under surface (fig. 33, a, b). The 
front part of the under surface was quite 
smooth and polished, evidently from attrition, 
while that part of it marked A A bore dis- 
tinct traces of blue paint. There can be little 
doubt that this implement was a paint grinder, 
as a specimen almost exactly similar was found 
in a mound nearCorozal, bearing traces of green 
paint on the under surface. Fourteen nicely 
polished reddish stone beads, spherical in shape, together with four 
smaller beads of a light-green color, and a leaf-shaped spearhead of 
flint, were found adjacent to the paint grinder. Immediately beneath 
these was found an object made of what seems to be reddish-brown 
agate; this is 10 cm. in length, oval in section, 1 cm. in its greatest 
breadth, tapering off to a blunt point at each end, and finely polished 
all over. With it were nearly 300 small triangular obsidian objects of 
the shape shown in figure 34. These vary in length from 1J to 2 J cm. 




Fig 



33.— Flint 

Mound No. 10. 



90 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

They are thick at the upper angle, the side subtending this forming a 
sharp cutting edge. In some of the implements this edge is notched, 
as if from use. These implements were probably used as scrapers, or 
small chisels or gouges, for which purposes they would be suitable, 
either hafted or unhafted. It is possible that they may have been 
used as teeth for the sword known to the Aztec as mextatl, which 
was also in use among the Maya at the time of the conquest. This 
weapon was constructed by setting a number of sharp obsidian 
splinters in deep lateral grooves, cut in a long piece of hard wood, 
which were filled with liquid resin in order to prevent the splinters 
from shifting from their positions. 

In the Stann Creek district of British Honduras, on the banks of 
the Sittec River, at a distance of approximately 15 miles from its 
mouth, there exists an extensive clearing in the bush known as 
" Kendal Estate." The soil here is remarkably fertile and well suited 
for the cultivation of every kind of tropical vegetable product. As 
lias been pointed out before, wherever throughout northern Central 
America one finds patches of exceptionally rich soil, there, on clearing 
the bush, will be found in greater or less numbers the 
mounds erected by the former inhabitants, together 
with the indestructible refuse usually. associated with 
former village sites, as fragments of pottery, flint and 
obsidian chips, broken and rejected implements and 
t Jobsidian weapons, shells of various edible shellfish, clay beads, 
object from Mound ne t, sinkers, malacates, broken rubbing stones, etc. 
The converse of this holds true to some extent, as one 
of the guides relied on by the modern degenerate Maya Indian in his 
annual selection of land for a milpa, or corn plantation, is the num- 
ber of mounds which he finds upon it. Indeed this remarkable index 
as to the degree of fertility of the soil appears to be almost the only 
useful heritage transmitted to him by his courageous and compara- 
tively highly civilized ancestors. 

Mound No. 11 

Mound No. 11, at Kendal, occupies a conspicuous position upon 
the summit of a small natural elevation, situated on the left bank 
of the river close to its margin. It is 60 feet long, 40 feet broad, and 
20 feet high, its long diameter running due east and west. An exca- 
vation was made - into the north slope of the mound, which exposed a 
three-walled chamber, 8 feet in length by 4 feet 8 inches in width. 
There was no wall on the south side. The north wall, owing to the 
outer slope of the mound trending over it, was only 1 foot in height; 
the east and west walls were each 4 feet high. All three walls were 
about 18 inches thick. The chamber was packed with water-worn 




BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



SULLETIN 64 PLATE 16 





... I 






MODEL OF JADEITE BIVALVE SHELL, b. LIGHT-GREEN JADEITE MASK. 
HEAD, OR CELT. d. TERRA-COTTA CYLINDER 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 91 

bowlders and earth, among which nothing was found but scattered 
patches of charcoal, with a few small red pots, so rotten and friable 
from long exposure to the damp that it was found impossible 4o 
remove them. Had there over been bones in the chamber, as seems 
probable, they must have completely disintegrated Jong before from 
contact with the damp clay. The floor was composed of flags of 
shale. About the center of the west wall a recess was discovered 
2 feet wide by 1^ feet high. This was half filled with earth, in which 
the following objects were found: 

(1) The model of half a bivalve shell in light-green jadeite, very 
well executed and polished both inside and out (pi. 16, a). On its 
outer surface, following the contour of the outer edge, are seven 
glyphs, the chief component of each of which is a grotesque human 
face. 1 

(2) A small mask of light-green jadeite, well polished on both 
surfaces, measuring approximately 7 cm. in both diameters (pi. 16, b). 
Inscribed on the forehead in shallow lines are the glyphs shown 
in figure 35, somewhat enlarged from the actual size. Around the 
edge of the lower half 
of the mask are seven 
minute perforations, 
while running across the 
back of the forehead 
from ear to ear is a larger 

° Fig. 35. — Inscription on mask, plate 16, 6. 

hole, evidently used lor 

suspension. No doubt this mask was used as a breast ornament, 
similar to those portrayed in the codices and on the monoliths, the 
small holes being intended for the suspension of the alligator-head 
beads found with the 'mask, which again may have been connected 
along their outward-pointing snouts by the cylindrical beads. 

(3) An ax head, or celt, of light-green stone, finely polished through- 
out (pi. 16, c), 21 cm. in length by 6.5 cm. in breadth at the cutting 
edge. One side is engraved with hieroglyphs done in shallow lines, 
much less carefully and neatly than those on the shell. The lower 
two-thirds of the engraved side have evidently been subjected to con- 
siderable attrition, as the surface of the stone, especially along the 
lower third of the ax, has been so worn away as to render the lines 
almost undecipherable. This inscription, somewhat smaller than the 
original, is shown in figure 36. With these engraved objects were 
a number of cylindrical beads, pierced in their long diameter, made 
of very pretty mottled light and dark green jade, well polished. 
They varied from 1.2 to 1.6 cm. in length, and the substance of 
the stone from which they were made was distinctly crystalline 

1 This shell has already been reproduced in the Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American 
Ethnology, pi. lxix. 





92 



BUREAU OF .MEEICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



on fracture. With them were a number of small alligator heads, 
made of similar stone and about the same size as the beads, pierced 
at the base of the skull for suspension, six celts of green and chocolate- 
colored stone, all finely polished, varying from 9 to 18 cm. in length, 
and a circular disk of iron pyrites 8 cm. in diameter by 5 mm. in 
thickness. This object was milled round the edges like a com and 
perforated in the center. With it was the broken half of a similar 
ornament; probably both of these had been used as ear ornaments. 
Trenches were dug through this mound in all directions, but nothing 
further was found therein. 

Mound No. 12 

Mound No. 12, at Kendal, was situated close to the last-described 
mound. Its flattened summit measured 28 feet by 20 feet; the 
average height was approximately 1 5 feet. The mound extended east 
and west, and on its eastern slope large slate slabs were seen protruding 
from the surface. On excavating round these they' were found to be 
part of a chamber measuring 7 feet by 3 feet; the south wall had 




Fig. 36.— Inscription on ax head, plate 16, c. 

caved in and the roof slabs also had been somewhat displaced. The 
chamber was filled with earth, on removing which the following 
objects were found upon the floor slabs: (1) Three nearly spherical 
red pots, averaging 6 inches in diameter; they were so rotten from 
the effect of moisture that it was impossible to remove them. (2) 
Two small, rather crudely executed human faces cut in mottled 
jadeite, and finely polished, with which were three green jadeite 
beads. (3) A small quantity of greenish powder. (4) Four small 
chisels of polished greenstone, varying from 2 to 4 cm. in length. 
(5) One chisel made of very soft gray stone, which had been covered 
externally with greenish paint somewhat resembling enamel, and very 
closely simulating the genuine greenstone chisels with which it was 
placed, except that it was much lighter in weight. Instances of 
counterfeit implements and ornaments buried with the dead have 
been found more than once throughout this area. 

Excavations were made along the flattened top of this mound, 
and about 1 6 feet to the westward of the first one a second grave was 
discovered. This was in a much better state of preservation than 



Gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 93 

the first, as all the walls and the, roof were in situ. It was composed 
throughout of large flat irregular slabs of slate, averaging about 2 
inches in thickness. It measured 8 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet in height. 
The chamber was filled with earth, and the roof was not more than 
6 or 8 inches below the surface of the mound. The following objects 
were found in this chamber, all resting upon the slate slabs which 
formed the floor. At the north end five nearly globular red earthen- 
ware pots, of rather coarse manufacture, each containing a stone 
celt, were found. These pots had been packed closely together, in 
earth, and over them a large slab of slate had been placed as if 
to j>rotect them; this, however, it failed to do, as the pots were so 
saturated with moisture that it was found possible to remove only 
one unbroken. The celts averaged 6 inches in length; all were well 
made and polished ; four were of greenstone, one of a bluish-gray stone. 
Close to the pots were found a small jadeite face and three green- 
stone beads or pendants. Nearer the center of the floor of the cham- 
ber were found two small cubical objects of light greenstone 1 cm. 
in diameter, very closely resembling dice, with a geometrical device 
inscribed in rather deej> lines upon two of their opposed surfaces; 
these might have been seals or stanrps, or they might have been 
used in playing some game. With them were a small solid cylin- 
der, of light greenstone, finely polished for suspension, 12 small 
obsidian knives, seemingly quite new, as they showed no signs of 
notching from use, and six convolvulus-shaped ornaments of light 
greenstone, finely polished, which had probably been used as ear 
plugs. Close to the last lay a hollow cylinder of extremely hard 
terra cotta 7 cm. in height, inscribed externally with a geometrical 
device in low relief (pi. 16, d). This object was undoubtedly a 
cylindrical seal or stamp for use on a handle; similar specimens are 
not uncommon in the south of British Honduras and in Guatemala, 
though in the north of the colony and in Yucatan they are of much 
less frequent occurrence. Small patches of charcoal and of green 
powder were found in several places scattered over the floor of this 
chamber. Nothing further was found in this mound, which was 
composed throughout of earth and water-worn bowlders. 

Several more mounds were excavated at Kendal, but nothing wao 
found in them. They were all composed of earth and large, water- 
worn bowlders, the former greatly predominating. Close to many of 
the mounds a deep excavation in the surface is to be seen, from which 
the material to construct the mound was evidently taken. These 
mounds form a decided contrast to those in the north of British 
Honduras and in southern Yucatan; they are lower, flatter, more 
diffuse and irregular in outline, with the line of demarcation be- 
tween the base of the mound and the surrounding soil very poorly 
defined. The northern mounds are more clearly defined, with steeper 



94 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bdll. 64 



Fig. 37.— Flint spearheads. 



sides, smaller summits, and base lines easily distinguishable. The 
reason for this difference is to be sought in the material from which 
the mounds were constructed, which in the south is clay, with a 
small admixture of river bowlders, both of which are easily washed 
down by the torrential tropical rains of the district. Year by year 

the mound becomes flatter and less well 
defined, till at length most of these 
mounds will be hardly distinguishable 
from the surrounding earth. In the 
north, on the contrary, the mounds are 
built of large blocks of limestone, with 
only a small admixture of earth and lime- 
stone dust. In many cases the blocks 
are mortared together, and in nearly all 
cases layers of cement are alternated 
with layers of stone. The whole forms a 
practically solid block of masonry, capa- 
ble of withstanding for all time the less 
heavy rainfall of this part of British Honduras and Yucatan. About 
the center of a triangular space, bounded at each angle by a small 
mound, situated close to the mound last described, was found a 
piece of water-worn rock measuring 4 feet 10 inches in length, which 
had evidently been carried up from the river bed a quarter of a mile 
away. Three or four inches of it appeared above the soil. Beneath 
the rock extended a layer of water-worn river stones to a depth of 
2 feet. Among these were found numerous fragments of pottery 
and patches of charcoal. On the 
western side of the rock, close to 
its edge, and buried 10 inches be- 
neath the surface, were found three 
rather well-chipped flint spearheads, 
the largest of which was 25 cm. in 
length (fig. 37, a, b, c) ; these were 
placed erect in the earth, points up- 
ward, and close to them lay the small, 
eccentrically shaped object seen in 
figure 38, b, very well chipped from 
dark-blue flint, measuring 7h cm. in 
length. A few feet to the north of 
these objects, buried at about the 
same depth and quite close to the rock, were found the serrated flint 
spearhead shown in figure 38, c, 27 cm. in length, together with the 
eccentrically shaped object seen in figure 38, a, 28 cm. in length; both 
of these were placed perpendicularly, the spearhead point upward. 

About 1^ miles from the village of Benque Viejo, in the Western 
District, is the only considerable aboriginal building in British Hon- 




Fig. 38.— Flint objects. 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



95 



duras, still in a fairly good state of preservation. This is a two-story 
temple standing upon a small natural elevation. Each story contains 
12 small rooms, three on the north side and three on the south side, 
each of which has a narrower room in the rear. The central rooms 
are 27 feet in length, the side rooms 17 feet 6 inches. The breadth 
of the smaller rooms is 4 feet 6 inches; the dividing walls are 3 feet 
thick. All the rooms in the lower story are filled in with large blocks 
of stone, loosely held together with a small amount of mortar. This 
seems to have been a favorite device among the Maya architects, its 
object probably having been to give greater strength and stability 
to the new upper story erected upon a building of older date. All the 
rooms are roofed with 
the triangular so-called 
"American arch." 
The height of the rooms 
is 5 feet 10 inches to 
the top of the wall, and 
5 feet 10 inches from 
the top of the wall to 
the apex of the arch. 
All the rooms had been 
covered with stucco, 
and upon the wall of 
one of the inner cham- 
bers completely cov- 
ered over with green 
mold the devices shown 
in figure 39 were found, 




<^ 




Fig. 39. — Devices scratched on stucco in aboriginal building. 



m hgure S\) were lound, ^_^2 •?") 

rudely scratched upon C^^p ^^f^V^S^ C^*^^ 
the stucco. In both 
the upper and the lower 
part of the drawing 
are what may be taken 
as crude representa- 
tions of "Cimi," the God of Death, probably, like the "grafiti" of 
Rome and Pompeii, scratched on the wall after the abandonment 
of the temple by its original builders. 1 Whoever executed the 
drawing must have had some knowledge, however crude, of Maya 
art and mythology, as the Cimi head shown in the lower and the 
conventional feather ornaments in the upper part of figure 39 are 
unmistakably of Maya origin. To the north of this building lies a 
considerable group of ruins. Among these three large pyramidal 



i Similar graflti were discovered on the wall of a temple at Nakum, in Guatemala. See Tozzer, Pre- 
liminary Study of the Prehistoric Ruins of Nakum. Guatemala, p. 160, fig. 48a. 



96 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[ hull. 64 






structures are conspicuous, which no doubt at one time carried small 
temples upon their summits, some remains of which are still to be 
seen. At the base of 
these pyramids stand 
three small plain stelae, 
quite unornamented. 
Upon the summit of one 
of these mounds the 
eccentrically shaped im- 
plements shown in figures 
40 and 44 were found. Of 
these, figure 40, a, h, and 
figure 44, m; n, o, p, are 
of obsidian, while the rest 
are of flint. Sixty-four of 
these objects were found 
in all, at depths varying 
from one or two inches 
to a foot beneath the sur- 
face; all were within an 
area of about 2 square 
yards. Some of the ob- 
jects, especially the obsid- 
ians, were chipped out 
with great care and ac- 
curacy ; others were 
merely flint flakes with a 
few shallow indentations chipped in their sides. On the south side 
of the largest of the pyramids stood a large sculptured stela, the upper 
part of which, had been broken off and lay close to 
the lower part, which was still embedded in cement. 
The sculptured part of this stela measured 10 feet 
2 inches in length by 4 feet 3 inches in breadth, 

and about 16 inches in 
thickness. The sculpture, 
which is in low relief, rep- 
resents a captive, or sacri- 
ficial victim, prone on his 
face and knees, while above 
him rises the figure of the 
priest or warrior, with elab- 
orately decorated feather 
headdress, holding in his 
extended right hand a small 
figure of the manikin god. The limestone from which the stela is 
cut has been very much defaced by the weather, and the finer 




Fig. 40. — Eccentrically shaped implements found at summit of 
mound. 




Fig. 41.— Flint ob- 
ject found at base 
of stela. 




Fig. 42. — Flint object found at base of 
stela. 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



97 



details of the sculpture can not now be deciphered. The back and 
sides are plain and unsculptured. Close to this monolith lay a small 
stone altar, 2 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 4 inches; on its upper surface is 
represented the figure of a skeleton with head bent over the extended 
right arm, while the left is held in to the side, the elbow joint at right 
angles. In front of the skeleton is a double row of hieroglyphs, 
each row containing 7 glyphs, most of which are in a fairly good 
state of preservation. An excavation was made round the part of 
the monolith still standing. It was found to be surrounded by a 
solid foundation of blocks of limestone, held together by cement, 




Fig. 43. — Flints found in r uins at Naranjo. 

among which were found, near the base of the stela, and actually in 
contact with it, the two eccentrically shaped flint objects shown in 
figures 41 and 42. In excavating a stela at the ruins of Naranjo, 
Republic of Guatemala, Teobert Maler found the flint illustrated in 
figure 43, a, and in clearing another stela at the same ruins 24 similar 
flints were found (fig. 43, b-s). Of these he says: 

During the excavation of this "starfish stela" quite a collection of very interesting 
flint ornaments, 24 in number, came to light. Among them were crescents, such 
as are seen as ear ornaments on certain stelae of Yaxha and Tikal, several curved or 
even S-shaped pieces, which, perhaps, were used as nose ornaments, a serrated lance 
and a serrated plate, a piece in the shape of a cross, and one composed of three leaves, 
a double lance, single lances, etc. 
70806°— 18— Bull. 64 7 



98 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



We may assume that near many stelae, as well as in the interior or on the exterior 
of temples, in addition to incense burners and sacrificial bowls, there were placed 
certain death's-head masks or other figures of perishable material tricked out with 
ornaments, feathers, and locks of hair, which have long since mouldered away, leav- 
ing behind only those of indestructible stone. For elsewhere, in the vicinity of 
stelae, objects of flint and obsidian are found in addition to pottery sherds. 1 

It will be seen that figure 43, a, from Naranjo is practically 
identical with figure 44, h, from Benque Viejo, as is figure 43, c, 
from Naranjo with figure 40, d, from Benque Viejo, and figure 
43, &, from Naranjo with figure 44, fc, from Benque Viejo, while 




/ it I m n 

•Fig. -14. — Objects from Benque Viejo. 



o 



the objects shown in figure 43, h, I, m, resjjectively, from Naranjo 
very closely resemble those seen in figure 44, o, a, Z, from Benque 
Viejo. 

Close to Succots, which is an extension of the village of Benque 
Viejo, a small mound was opened by Dr. Davis some years ago, 
within which were found the objects illustrated in figure 45. These 
are all of obsidian and of very eccentric and irregular shapes. The 
object shown in figure 45, c, closely resembles that shown in figure 
43, c, from Naranjo, and that in figure 40, d, from Benque Viejo, 

1 Maler, Explorations in the Department of Peten, Guatemala, pp. 100-101. 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



99 



and still more closely figure 44, p, from Benque Viejo, both being 
made of obsidian. 

Mound No. 13 

Close to Corozal, in the northern district of British Honduras, the 
sea in its gradual encroachment along the coast had partially washed 
away a small mound. On the beach, by the side of the mound, 
were found a few fragments of human long bones, a small triangular 
arrowhead or javelin head of black flint, a number of potsherds of 
coarse, thick, reddish pottery, and two small obsidian knives. These 
had evidently been washed out of the mound by the sea. The' 
remaining part of the mound was dug down. It Was found to be 
18 feet in diameter, less than 4 feet high at its highest point, and 
built throughout of water-worn stones, sand, and earth. Near the 
center and on the ground level were found human vertebrae and 
parts of a skull, probably belonging with the leg bones found on the 




b c d e f 

Fig. 45. — Obsidian objects found in a mound near Benque Viejo. 

beach. Close to these were found a small three-legged earthenware 
bead vase, containing two pottery and one small polished greenstone 
bead, together with one eccentrically shaped flint object. This is 
probably meant to represent a "quash," or picote, with bushy tail 
coiled over his back. It is rather neatly chipped from dark-yellow 
flint. It measures nearly 3 inches from the curve of the tail to the 
tip of the forepaw. 

Mound No. 14 

The next mound in which an eccentrically shaped flint was dis- 
covered is a very large one situated far away from any settlement, 
at the headwaters of tbe Rio Hondo, in northern British Honduras. 
The stone implements found in it lay near the summit, about a 
couple of feet beneath the surface. They were discovered accident- 
ally by an Indian (from whom they were purchased) while digging 
out a halib, or gibnut, from its hole, and consisted of: (a) A spindle- 
shaped stone brazo 12 inches long by 9J inches in circumference, 
finely polished from grinding corn on a metate. (b) A chipped flint 
brazo, 7£ inches long by 10^ inches in circumference, polished on one 




100 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [boll. 64 

side only. Flint brazos are exceedingly rare, as the rough surface 
necessary for corn grinding must have been difficult to produce on 
so refractory a material, (c) Eight stone ax heads, varying from 3^ 
to 8^ inches hi length, (d) A dark greenstone ax head, 9 \ inches in 
length, with two shallow notches, one on each side of a shoulder situ- 
ated 3 inches from the base, probably intended to afford greater 
facility in hafting the implement, (e) Two well-chipped flint spear- 
heads, one 10J, the other 1\, inches 
in lengthi (f) An oblong block of 
flint 6^ inches in length and 6J 
inches in circumference. This had 
big. 46.-Fiint object from seven Hiiis. probably been used as a hammer- 
stone, since it exhibits well-defined percussion marks at each extrem- 
ity, (g) A rather roughly chipped stellate disk of flint, 10 inches in 
diameter, with 13 sharp-pointed triangular rays or spines, each about 
2 inches in length, at equal intervals around its periphery. Near the 
center of this object is a natural hole 3f inches in diameter. 

The upper part of this mound consisted of earth and blocks of lime- 
stone; the lower part was not excavated. The implements were 
found lying close together in a cache, loose in the soil. Numerous 
rough potsherds were found, but there was no trace of human inter- 
ment discovered. 

In the southern part of British Honduras, not far from Punta 
Gorda, is a group of small natural elevations, known as Seven Hills. 
Upon the summit of the highest of these, some years ago, the object 
illustrated in figure 46 was found. This somewhat resembles a horse- 
shoe with two long bars, each tapering off to a point, projecting 
from either side. It is very neatly chipped 
from grayish flint. Its extreme length is 16 
inches. This implement was found just be- 
neath the surface, covered only by a few 
inches of soil. At a later date a number of 
trenches were dug on the summit of this 
mound, but nothing except potsherds of 
various kinds with flint and obsidian chips 

Came to li°*ht. FlG - 47.— Horseshoe-shaped flint 

-r n . _ . f. , , n , n object found near San Antonio. 

In figure 47 is seen one ot the finest oi 
these eccentrically shaped flints ever found in this part of the 
Maya area. It is horseshoe-shaped, chipped to a sharp edge all 
round, and has six sharp spines projecting from the outer periph- 
ery (one of which has been broken off, as shown in the figure), 
with shallow indentations between them. The implement, which 
is 35 cm. in its greatest diameter, is made of nearly black flint, 
covered with a beautiful creamy white porcelain-like patina. It 




gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 101 

was found by an Indian in the neighborhood of San Antonio, on the 
Rio Hondo, which here forms the boundary-line between Mexico and 
British Honduras. He was idly scratching on the top of a small 
mound, buried in the bush, with his machete, when a few inches 
below the surface he came upon this very remarkable flint. Unfor- 
tunately, he took no pains to locate the mound, and as the bush 
in this neighborhood is literally covered with mounds in all directions, 
he has never been able to find this particular one again. 

The implement shown in figure 48 was dredged up from the River 
Thames, near London, at a spot where foreign-going ships were in the 
habit of dumping their ballast. There can be little doubt that it 
came originally from British Honduras, as flint implements of such 
large size and of this peculiar type are not found outside the Maya 
area. This object, as may be seen, is a crude representation of the 
human form; it is 94 inches in length and is neatly chipped. A 
closely similar anthropomorphic specimen is pre- 
served in the Northesk collection, a cast of 
which may be seen in the British Museum. 

It is extremely difficult to form any satisfac- 
tory theory as to the use of these eccentrically 
shaped flints which will cover all the instances 
in which they have been found. Teobert Maler, 
judging by the small specimens, closely packed, 
which he found at Naranjo, considers that they 
may have been used as ornaments upon death's- 
head masks, placed near stelae and temples, 
the more perishable parts of which have disap- 
peared. This theory could hardly apply to the 
immense specimens from the Douglas, Orange 
Walk, and Seven Hills mounds, some of which FlG - ^--Kgure from River 

, , . , , Thames, near London. 

are, moreover, obviously intended as weapons, 

and not as ornaments. Stevens, the author of "Flint Chips," with 
only the three large specimens found in a cave inland from the 
Bay of Honduras to judge from, considers that they may have 
served as "weapons of parade, like the state partisan or halbert of 
later times;" it is perfectly obvious, however, that the zoomorphic 
forms from Corozal and Douglas, and the small specimens from 
Benque Viejo, Naranjo, Kendal, and Santa Rita, could not have been 
intended for this purpose. Finding small, beautifully chipped cres- 
cents, crosses, and rings of obsidian and varicolored flints, as have been 
discovered at Benque Viejo and Succots, one would be inclined to 
think that they were intended as earrings, gorgets, and breast 
ornaments, especially as one sees such forms frequently recurring 
in the ornaments worn by figures on the stela? in the neighborhood. 
Finding the huge flints pictured in plate 15, b, d, especially when 




102 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



associated, as they were, with the large flint spearheads illustrated 
in plate 15, c, f, the conclusion that they were intended as weapons 
would be almost irresistible. 

The number of these objects found at each of the 11 sites which 
have been described varies from 1 to 64. On 5 of the 11 occa- 
sions they were undoubtedly associated with human interments; 
in 4 of the remaining 6 they were found lying, superficially placed, 
on the summits of mounds, which for various reasons were not 
thoroughly excavated, and may or may not have been sepulchral in 
function; in the two remaining finds the flints were placed closely 

adjacent to sculptured stelae, and 
these again may have been used to 
mark the grave of some priest or 
cacique, though they more fre- 
quently marked the lapse of cer- 
tain time periods. The common- 
est form assumed by these objects 
is the crescent or some variant of 
it. Of the 11 sites excavated, 
this form was found in no fewer 
than 8. The crescent is in some 
cases quite plain, in some indented 
or spiked along the convexity, and 
is in one instance furnished with 
long spines on tach side. 

In every instance (except that of 
the chambered mound at Douglas) 
where these i mplements were found 
in mounds they were placed quite 
superficially at the summit of the 
mound; indeed at Benque Viejo, 
Seven Hills, and Santa Rita it seems 
probable that they had not been 
buried originally at all, but merely 
placed upon the summit of the mound and in course of time became 
covered with a layer of humus from decaying vegetation in the 
vicinity. 

Similar flint objects have been found in other parts of the world, 
notably at Brionio in Italy and in Stuart, Smith, and Humphrey 
Counties, Tennessee. In figure 49, b-n, are shown somewhat 
rough outline sketches of the Tennessee objects, and in figure 50, 
a-p, are represented a selection of the most important objects 
found at Brionio, now in the collection of the late Professor Giglioli 
at Florence. The Tennessee objects are to be seen at Washington. 
The latter are small when compared with the largest of the Maya 




Fig. 49. — Flint objects from Tennessee. 



GANN] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



103 



specimens, but are neatly chipped, whereas the Brionio objects are 
very crudely blocked out, mostly from black flint. 

It will be observed that figure 49, c, d, g, from Tennessee, shows 
specimens almost identical with figure 50, j>, from Brionio, and 
with theturtle, pictured in plate 15, g, from the Douglas chambered 
mound; again the spiked crescents, figure 50, h, c, n, from Brionio, 
closely resemble the very much larger spiked crescent illustrated in 
plate 15, e, from the Douglas chambered mound, and still more closely 
the spiked crescent figured in " Flint Chips " (from Wilson, Prehistoric 
Man, op. oit., p. 214). Though these objects are not found in Cen- 
tral America outside the Maya area, the Aztec were sufficiently ex- 
pert in the art of flint and obsidian chipping to have produced them 
had they wished. In figure 49, a, is seen the outline of a type 
of labretworn by the Aztecs, chipped 
out of both flint and obsidian, which 
compares favorably in workmanship 
with any of the objects from the 
Maya area. 

In reviewing the evidence it would 
appear that these eccentrically shaped 
objects were not employed either as 
implements or as weapons, most of 
them being utterly unsuited in both 
size and shape for such purposes; 
moreover, none of them show any 
signs of wear or use. Neither were 
they used as ornaments, as many of 
them are too large and heavy, while 
the more roughly chipped specimens 
would be quite unadapted for such 
a purpose. Judging by the fact that 
5 at least of the 11 separate finds 
were associated with human burials, it seems probable that these 
objects were purely ceremonial in use ; that they were most freemen tly, 
if not invariably, buried with the dead, either on top of the sepul- 
chral mound, in close association with the corpse, or by the side of a 
memorial stela; and that they were manufactured and used solely for 
this purpose 




Fig. 50. — Flint objects from Italy. 



Mound No. 15 

Mound No. 15 was situated on the south bank of the Rio Hondo, 
about 5 miles from its mouth, near the village of Santa Helena. 
This was a conical mound 25 feet in height and 120 feet in circum- 
ference at the base. Excavation was begun at the summit of the 
mound, which was somewhat flattened. For the first foot the coil 



104 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



fBULL. 61 




Fig. 51.— Small cup-shaped 
vase from Mound No. 15. 



consisted of light-brown earth, which contained nothing of interest. 
For the next 3 J feet there were large blocks of limestone, the inter- 
stices between which were filled with limestone dust and debris. In 
these were found large quantities of potsherds, some well painted and 
polished, together with part of the inferior maxilla of a medium- 
sized carnivore, probably a puma. At a depth of 3^ feet a number of 
stone flags, each nearly 5 feet in length and from 
4 to 6 inches in thickness, were exposed; on re- 
moving these a small chamber appeared, of 
winch the flags formed the roof. The walls of 
the chamber, or cist, were built of squared stones 
mortared together; it was 6 feet long, 6 feet 
high, and 4 feet broad; the floor was of light- 
brown, very fine river sand. On carefully re- 
moving the sand the following objects were 
brought to light at depths varying from 3 feet 
below the surface of the sand to the bottom of the chamber: (a) A small 
round, cup-shaped vase, shown in figure 51, painted bright yellow 
and finely polished. It is 10 cm. high by 8^- cm. in its greatest 
diameter. On its outer 
surface are two grotesque 
monkey-like figures, the 
outline of one of which is 
shown in figure 52, a. (b)A 
small thin bowl of the shape 
shown infigure 52, e, painted 
yellow throughout, well pol- 
ished, and ornamented ex- 
teriorly with geometrical de- 
vices in red and black, (c) 
A somewhat larger bowl 
than the next preceding, of 
the shape seen in figure 52,/. 
The geometrical ornamen- 
tation on the outer surface 
is executed in low relief, 
and was afterwards painted 
over, (d) A large circular 
plaque painted yellow throughout, 42 cm. in diameter. This plaque 
had been polished but shows considerable signs of hard usage before 
burial, (e) A plaque-like vessel, 9 cm. in height, with the design repre- 
sented in figure 52, d, of a human face separated from a dragon's head by 
the Maya numeral 7, repeated around the outer surface of its rim. (f ) 
A shallow plaque, 36 cm. in diameter, painted yellow throughout, and 




Fig. 52. — Objects from Mound No. 15. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 105 

polished ; on the inner surface of the rim are repeated twice, outlined 
in black lines, the bird and the curious mythological animal seen in 
figure 52, b, c. (g) A basin-shaped vessel ; painted a deep reddish- 
brown and finely polished throughout, with a very attractive and 
intricate device of interlacing diamond-shaped figures around 
the inside of the run. (h) A vessel closely similar to the pre- 
ceding, but smaller and not so well polished. It was broken 
into a number of pieces when found, (i) A small round pot, 
with flaring rim, of common red ware, showing no attempt at 
decoration, (j) Scattered throughout the sand, in the midst of 
these pots, were found 35 very small, flat, circular disks or beads, 
averaging about one-twelfth inch in thickness. Some were of 
greenstone, others of a reddish-yellow stone mottled with white. 
All were well polished. 

On removing the sand to a. depth of 12 feet the bottom of the 
chamber was reached. The floor, which was composed of hard 
mortar, measured 4 by 3 feet, as the chamber was somewhat funnel- 
"shaped, narrowing as it descended. On the bottom of the chamber 
were found a number of small oyster and cockle shells, with frag- 
ments of human bones. Among these was an inferior maxilla in 
fairly good state of preservation; from the facts that the tooth 
sockets had disappeared, that there was considerable atrophy along 
the alveolar processes and widening of the angle between the hori- 
zontal and vertical sections of the bone, it had probably belonged 
to a person of advanced age. 

Mound No. 16 

Mound No. 16 was situated about 2 miles due north of the last- 
described mound, close to the north bank of the Rio Hondo, within 
the territory of Quintana Roo. It was discovered by an Indian, 
who had cut a piece of virgin bush with the object of making a 
milpa. The mound was 35 feet in height by 250 feet in circumfer- 
ence at the base; in shape it resembled a truncated cone, the flat- 
tened summit of which measured 30 feet in one direction by 6 feet 
in the other. The mound was composed throughout of rough 
blocks of limestone, the interstices of which were filled in with lime- 
stone dust and an unusually large quantity of light-brown earth. 
Excavation was commenced at the top of the mound; for the first 
6 feet nothing except a few potsherds was found. Scattered through 
the next 2 feet of the mound the following objects were brought 
to light; these were mingled indiscriminately with the limestone 
blocks of which the mound was built, quite unprotected by cyst 
or chamber: (a) A basin-shaped vessel 20 cm. in diameter, 10 cm. 
in height (pi. 17), covered by a round conical lid with a semicircular 
handle. Both basin and cover are painted black and polished, inside 



106 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



Ibull. 64 




C=^ 



Fig. 53. — Conventionalized 
representation of bird on 
vessel shown in plate 17. 



and out. Upon the outer surface of the vase and the upper surface of 
the lid are incised in low relief a series of pictographs, identical upon 
both. From the nature of the design and the fact that the vase con- 
tained a number of fragments of human bones, it seems probable that 
it was intended for a cinerary urn. The design is of considerable inter- 
est and worthy of detailed consideration. The most prominent object 
upon both the lid and the vase itself is a naked human figure in a re- 
cumbent position, with the arms flexed over the 
chest and abdomen and the knees and thighs 
semiflexed. The ornaments worn consist of an 
elaborate feather-decorated headdress, a lab ret, 
or nose ornament (it is somewhat difficult to 
determine which), and large bead anklets and 
wristlets. Below the head, on the body of the 
vase, is the conventionalized representation of a 
bird (fig. 53) with extended drooping wings, and 
a rectangular object occupying the position of the beak. On the lid, 
probably from lack of room, this bird is represented only by the 
rectangular object, beneath which is seen the conventionalized ser- 
pent's head, represented only by the upper jaw, from which project 
the head and hand of a human being, whom it is in the act of swal- 
lowing. This monster, with a human head projecting from its mouth, 
is frequently represented in mounds in this area, usually in the form 
of a clay figurine. 

The next figure is probably intended to represent Quetzalcoatl, the 
Cuculcan of the Maya, and God B of the Codices. It is the shrunken 
bearded face of an old man, with a single tooth in the lower jaw, very 
prominent nose, and a bird's head (probably that of the owl) in the 
headdress. These are all well-recognized characteristics of this god. 
At the back part of the headdress of the god, and connected with it, is 
a human face. Immediately above the 
head of Cuculcan is depicted a fish, 
with a flower-like object in front of its 
mouth (fig. 54), which is probably con- 
nected with this god, who is frequently 
associated with objects connoting 
water, vegetation, and fertility, as fish, 
flowers, water plants, leaves, and shells. 

The next figure probably represents Schellhas's God K of the 
Codices. This god possesses an elaborate foliated nose, and is usually 
closely associated with God B, as he is in the present instance; indeed 
Brinton and Fewkes regard him as being merely a special manifesta- 
tion of the latter god, while Spinden is of the opinion that his face is 
derived from that of the serpent so constantly associated with God 
B. 1 The lower jaw of the god seems to consist of a dry bone. Imme- 




FlG. 



54. — Decoration on vessel shown in 
plate 17. 



i See Spinden, Maya Art, p. 64. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 18 









POTTERY FROM MOUND NO. 16 



oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



107 



diately behind God K is repeated the design of the serpent swallowing 
a human head, above which is a striated bar, whose sole purpose 
seemingly is to decorate a vacant space. Above this again is a bar 
with feathers or leaves projecting from it, which may possibly be 
connected with the headdress of God B, and at the top is repeated the 
figure of the fish, with the circular object in front of its mouth. Next 




Fig. 55.— Perforated beads found in Mound No. 16. 

to these is again seen the head of the god Cuculcan, after which the 
whole series recommences with the prone naked human figure, (b) A 
vessel exactly similar in size, color, and shape to the one last described 
(pi. 18, a). The outer surface is decorated by four curious monkey- 
like creatures, sculptured in low relief, separated from each other by 
ovate spaces inclosed in double parallel lines and filled with cross- 
hatching. Above and below is a border of frets, also 
executed in low relief. The faces of these monkeys 
are represented by a simple oval, no attempt having 
been made to depict any of the features. The hands 
are furnished with huge clawlike fingers, and the tails, 
which are of great length, are curled over the back. 
The cover of this vessel (pi. 18, a) is circular, some- 
what funnel-shaped, 23 cm. in diameter. Upon its 
outer surface is executed, in low relief, a monkey almost 
exactly similar to those which appear on tlie outer sur- 
face of the vase, except that it is somewhat larger 
and is seen in front view, not in profile. The face of the monkey 
is carefully molded in high relief to form the handle of the lid, 
while between his hands he grasps an ovate object identical with 
those on the vase. (c) The lid of a vessel corresponding exactly 
to the lid of the vessel first described. The pot to which it 
belonged could not be found (pi. 18, &). (d) A pair of cylindrical 
vases, each standing upon three short, hollow, oval legs. Both are 




Fig. 56. — Jadeite 
beads found in 
Mound No. 16. 



108 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



made of extremely thin, brittle pottery painted a dirty yellow and 
polished throughout, with no ornament except a broad red stripe, 
which passes obliquely around the whole of the outer surface of each 
(e) Two shallow circular plaques, painted reddish-brown, and 



vase. 



polished throughout, with a geometrical device in thin black lines 
around the inner surface of the rim of each, (f) A quantity of bones, 
probably those of a halib or gibnut, and of a wild turkey. These 
were found under a large block of rough limestone, (g) A number of 









j. 








^9* ' 




i 


# 


- ■**^- ^1 


B \ 


M 




Fig. 57.— a. Circular shell disks from Mound No. 16. b- Greenstone ear plugs from Mound No. 17. 

univalve shells, each about 1 inch in length, perforated at the apex 
in two places, as if for suspension in the form of a necklace or orna- 
mental border. 1 With these shells was found half of a large cockle- 
like bivalve, painted red throughout, and perforated, possibly for use 
as a gorget, (h) Thirteen large, round, perforated beads (fig. 55). 
Some of these are reddish in color, and show traces of polishing. With 
these were the three jadeite beads pictured in figure 56; two of these 

1 See Memoirs of the Pcabody Museum, vol. u, No. 1, Researches in the Valley of the TJsumatsintla, 
Where on several illustrations rows of similar shells are seen decorating the edges of the garments of the 
persons represented. 



GANN] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 109 

are cylindrical, with a knob at one end, while the third is nearly 
spherical; all are finely polished; they are made of light and dark- 
green mottled jadeite. (i) A single small oyster shell, with a great 
number of cockle shells, (j) Two circular disks of shell, represented 
in figure 57, a, exhibiting the front and back view. The central 
part is of a deep reddish color, and is well polished. Each disk is 5 cm. 
in diameter and is perforated at the center. They were probably used 
as ear ornaments. Excavations were made in this mound to the 
ground level, but no additional objects were found in it. 

Mound No. 17 

Mound No. 17. was situated within a mile of the mound last 
described, on high .ground, about 1^ miles from the Rio Hondo, 
from which it is separated by a belt of swamp. It was conical in 
shape, about 40 feet high, nearly 90 yards in circumference, and was 
built throughout of large blocks of limestone, the interstices being 
filled with a friable mortar, made seemingly from limestone dust, 
earth, and sand mixed together. Near the sum- *. 
mit was an irregular opening, about 4 feet across, \ OOT 
which led into a small stone-faced chamber, 15 \A tartar 
feet long, 5 feet broad, and 6 feet high. The / 1 
opening had been made by the falling in of one ^ — J obsidian disc 
of the flags which formed the roof of the cham- FlG . 58 .— obsidian disk in- 
ber; this was found within the chamber with a serted in t00tn of skeleton 

•i £ i'i_ • mi a i r- i found in Mound No. 17. 

pile oi debris, lhe floor was composed of large 
flat flags, on removing one of which an aperture was made which led 
into a second chamber, of exactly the same size as the first, and imme- 
diately beneath it. The floor of this was covered to a depth of about 
12 inches with a layer of soft brown river sand, in which were found: 
(a) Parts of a human skeleton, seemingly belonging to an adult male, 
the bones of which were very friable and greatly eroded. In one of 
the incisor teeth was inserted a small disk of obsidian, the outer surface 
of which was highly polished (fig. 58) . These ornamental tooth fillings 
are rather rare, though they have been found from time to time 
in Yucatan and as far south as Quirigua. They were usually made 
from greenstone, obsidian, or iron pyrites, all highly polished, the 
only teeth ornamented being the incisors and canines, usually in the 
upper jaw. The plugging seems to have been exclusively for orna- 
mental purposes, not with any idea of filling a cavity, the result of 
caries in the tooth. 1 

i It is curious that neither Landa nor Villagutierre mentions this ornamental plugging of the front teeth, 
as, judging by the number of teeth found, it can not have been of exceptionally rare occurrence. 
Landa, who describes their ornaments very closely, mentions the filling of the teeth, but not the plug- 
ging, which, had it been in vogue at the time of the conquest in Yucatan, he must have heard about or ob- 
served. It seems probable that the custom had already become obsolete before the first appearance of 
the Spaniards in Yucatan. 



110 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[BULL. 64 




FIG. 59. — Bird carrying a fish outlined on shallow 
plaque found in Mound No. 17. 



(b) A shallow plaque, 28 cm. in diameter, painted throughout 
a dark reddish-yellow, and finely polished. Upon the upper surface 
was outlined in fine black fines a bird, apparently a sea hawk, carry- 
ing iij its claw a good-sized fish, possibly a stone bass (fig.. 59). 
The artist probably witnessed this event many times, as the mouth 

of the Rio Hondo, where stone 
bass abound, is a favorite fish- 
ing ground for sea hawks and 
frigate birds. 

(c) A number of painted and 
glazed potsherds of all sizes. 

Beneath this second chamber 
a third was discovered, roofed in 
with rough flags, of the same 
dimensions as the other two. 
The floor of this chamber was 
cemented over; nothing except 
limes tone blocks and mortar was 
found between it and the bot- 
tom of the mound. Upon the floor lay a solitary plaque, of a deep 
reddish-yellow color, the upper surface divided by black lines into 
four equal spaces, in each of which was crudely outlined in black a 
fish, probably meant to represent a stone bass. On digging into the 
summit of the mound outside the area occupied by the chambers, 
the following objects were brought to light: (a) A cylindrical vase of 
light, thin, well-made pottery, 16| cm. high by 13 cm. in diameter, 
painted light yellow throughout and finely polished (fig. 60). Upon 
one side of the vase, within an oblong space outlined in black, are 
a number of curious mythological animals, above which is a row of 
six glyphs, seemingly explanatory of the picture be- 
neath (pi. 19, a). Both animals and glyphs are very 
carefully executed in red, black, and brown, on a 
yellow background. The lowest figure on the right 
somewhat resembles that on a vase in the American 
Museum of Natural History, 1 upon which the Long- 
nosed god is associated with bulblike objects, flowers, 
and a bird (probably a pelican). On this vase the 
Long-nosed god is seen with a bulblike object, possibly 
a root, from which project interlacing stalks, at the 
ends of which are water-lily buds. Above these is a bird, possibly 
a sea hawk. The whole connotes water, or fertility, (b) A second 
vase, similar in shape, but somewhat larger (fig. 61), is painted 
yellow and polished throughout. Upon this is depicted a cruciform 
object, with outgrowths from the upper and lateral limbs of the 



I 



Fig. 60.— Cylindri- 
cal pottery vase 
found in Mound 
No. 17. 



! See Spinden, Maya Art, fig. 79. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 19 




a. DECORATION ON VASE SHOWN IN FIGURE 60 




b. DECORATION OF VESSEL FROM MOUND NO. 17 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



111 




Fig. 61. — Larger 
pottery vase 
found in Mound 
No. 17. 



cross, probably a highly conventionalized tree, (c) A shallow circular 
plaque, 36 cm. in diameter, painted light yellow, and polished 
throughout. Upon its upper surface is painted, in red and black, 
a coiled plumed serpent (fig. 62), doubtless intended to represent 
Cuculcan, the "Feathered Serpent." (d) Two circular objects of 
polished greenstone, somewhat resembling broad-brimmed hats from 
which the crowns have been removed (see fig. 57, b). 
Each has on the upper surface of the brim a small f^z. ~p \ 

ovate piece of mother-of-pearl, firmly cemented to the 
stone. These objects were probably used as ear 
plugs; with them were five small perforated spherical 
beads of polished greenstone. 

At the base of the northern aspect of this mound 
was a small square enclosure, surrounded by a stone 
wall 2 to 3 feet in height. On digging into this, near 
its center, an alligator made of rough pottery, 15 
inches long, was discovered. In the center of its back 
is a small circular opening, covered by a conical stop- 
per, leading into the hollow interior, in which was found a small 
perforated polished jadeite bead, in the form- of a grotesque human 
face. Close to the alligator lay a basin-shaped vessel, 28 cm. in 
diameter, painted yellow, and polished throughout. In the center 
of this, outlined in thin black lines, is the object seen in plate 19, b, 

probably meant to represent the 
two-headed dragon so common in 
Maya art. 

Mound No. 18 

Mound No. 18, situated less than 
half a mile from the next preced- 
ing, was 10 feet high, 70 feet in 
circumference, roughly conical in 
shape, and firmly built through- 
out of blocks of limestone the 
interstices between which were 
filled with earth and limestone 
dust. At the bottom of the 
mound, near its center, resting 
on the ground, was a cist, about 2 feet in diameter, roughly con- 
structed of large flags of limestone. Within this were found two 
vessels: (a) A basin-shaped specimen of thin pottery, painted red- 
dish-yellow and polished throughout; on its inner surf ace is depicted, 
in fine black lines, an object closely resembling a four-leafed sham- 
rock, (b) A vase of the shape shown in figure 63, 13 cm. high 
and 13 cm. in diameter. This is made of rather thick pottery; it is 




Fig. 62.- 



-Coiled plumed serpent painted on plaque 
found in Mound No. 17. 



112 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[BULL. 64 




Fig. 63. 



-Pottery vase found in 
Mound No. 18. 



painted light yellow and polished throughout. On the outer surface 
of the rim, outlined in thin black lines, is the glyph represented 
in figure 64, which is repeated all the way round the circum- 
ference. No additional objects were found 
in this cyst, nor were there any traces of 
bones in it, or in the rest of the mound, 
which was afterward examined. 

Mound No. 19 

Mound No. 19, situated close to the preced- 
ing, was 6 feet in height, with flattened top, 
built solidly throughout of limestone blocks 
and a friable mortarlike substance. At the 
ground level, near the center of the mound, 
were discovered two cists, placed side by 
side, separated by a partition wall built of blocks of cut stone. 
Each cist was 6 feet long, 3 feet broad, nearly 4 feet deep, solidly 
constructed of stones mortared together. Neither the cists nor the 
body of the mound contained anything of interest except a few 
fragments of bone in the last stages of disintegration. 

Mound No. 20 

Mound No. 20 was situated at Pueblo Nuevo, about 6 miles from 
the mouth of the Rio Nuevo, in the northern district of British 
Honduras. The mound was about 100 feet in length and varied 
from 8 to 12 feet in height and from 15 to 25 feet in breadth. It 
was built throughout of earth, limestone dust, and blocks of lime- 
stone, a great many of which had been squared. Immediately 
beneath the surface, running east and west along the long diameter 
of the mound and nearly centrally placed in it, was the upper sur- 
face of a wall, which had evidently at one time formed part of a building 
of considerable size. This wall was built of finely squared blocks of 
limestone mortared to- 
gether, and was some- 
what more than 18 
inches thick. It ex- 
tended for 40 feet, 
turning at right angles 
at both the eastern and 
western extremities 
and was broken by a 
single opening, 3^ feet broad at the center. The part of the wall left 
standing varied from 2 to 3£ feet in height and was covered on its 
inner surface. by a layer of smooth, yellow, very hard cement; the 
outer surface, which still retained traces of painted stucco moldings, 




Fig. 64.— Glyph outlined on outer surface of rim of vase shown in 
fig. 63. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 113 




Fig. 65. — Torso, head, and headdress from Mound No. 20. 



ended below in a floor of hard cement 12 inches thick. The greater 
part of these moldings had been broken away, but portions were 
still adherent to the wall and great quantities of fragments, 
painted red and blue, were found immediately beneath the wall 
from which they had been 
broken. The most im- 
portant of these were: (a) 
Two human torsos, one 
(the more elaborate) of 
which is seen in figure 
65, c. (b) Three human 
heads, one of which is rep- 
resented in figure 65, h, 
in situ. Both heads and 
torsos are life size, and 
both are painted red and 
blue throughout. 1 (c) 
Two headdresses, one of 
which is seen in situ in 
figure 65, a; the other is 
almost precisely similar 
in coloring and design, 
(d) Fragments of elabo- 
rately molded pillars, which had originally separated the figures on 
the wall. A portion of one of these is shown in figure 66. This 
design was repeated three times upon the front of the pillar, the back 
of which was flattened for attachment to the wall. Great quantities 
of fragments of painted stucco, of all shapes and sizes, were dug 
out of the mound, but the human figures, with the pillars which sepa- 
rated them, were the only objects the original 
positions of which on the wall it was possible 
to determine with certainty. Resting upon the 
layer of hard cement in which the wall terminated 
below, between 5 and 6 feet from the eastern end 
and close to the wall itself, was found an adult 
human skeleton, the bones of which were hud- 
dled together within a very small compass, in a 
manner suggesting secondary burial. In remov- 
ing these bones nearly all of them crumbled 
to pieces. Throughout the whole mound were 
found numerous potsherds, some of very fine pottery, colored and 
polished; others thick, rough, and undecorated. Fragments of flint 
and obsidian, broken flint spearheads and scrapers, and broken 
obsidian knives were also found. 

1 The photographs of the torso and headdress were taken in England and those of the head in British 
Honduras. Consequently they do not fit together as well as do the originals. 

70806°— IS— Bull. 64 8 




Fig. 66.— Fragment of pil- 
lar found in Mound No. 
20. 



114 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

Mound No. 21 

Mound No. 21 was situated near Corozal, in the northern district 
of British Honduras. This mound had very steep sides; it was 50 
feet in height by 200 feet in circumference, and was built of blocks 
of limestone, the interstices of which were filled with friable mortar. 
Toward the west the mound joined a smaller mound, 20 feet in 
height. A rumor was current among the Indians in the neighbor- 
hood that some years before a number of fragments of clay idols 
had been found lying on the surface of the earth near the mound. 
Excavations were consequently made all around the mound, for a 
distance of 10 to 15 yards from its base, through the alluvial soil, 
down to the limestone rock, a distance of 6 inches to 2 feet. These 
excavations brought to light enormous quantities of fragments of 
crude, coarse pottery vessels, for the greater part the remains of 
large hourglass-shaped incense burners, which had been decorated on 
their outer surfaces with either a human head or an entire human 
figure. Among these fragments were animal heads in terra cotta, 
the snake and the dragon being of most frequent occurrence, but 
the deer, alligator, and tiger also being represented. Heads of the 
owl, the wild turkey, and the humming bird likewise were found. 
Fragments of about a dozen human faces were brought to light, 
with the usual nose ornaments, large round earrings, and labrets. 
Quilted cotton, stud decorated breastplates, sandaled feet, and 
bracelet-decorated hands and arms were also plentiful. The right 
arm seems in most cases to have been extended, holding in the 
upward turned palm some object as a gift or offering. These objects 
vary considerably; three are undoubtedly wild turkeys, with their 
long necks coiled around their bodies ; two are palm-leaf fans attached 
to handles; one appears to be a shallow saucer containing three small 
cakes; while two are pyramidal, spike-covered objects, possibly 
meant to represent the fruit of the pitaya cactus. With these frag- 
ments of pottery were found four entire oval pottery vases, each 
about 4 inches high, standing on three short legs, each containing a 
few clay and polished greenstone beads. Close to these was a pair 
of vases, shaped like a right and left foot and leg, of the size approxi- 
mately of those of a child 7 or 8 years of age, greatly expanded above 
the ankle. These vases showed traces of white and blue paint, which 
had, however, almost completely worn off; around them were a 
considerable number of fragments of the bones of deer and peccary, 
very much decayed. Close to the base of the mound was found an 
oval block of limestone, which formed the nucleus of a small hill, 
2 to 3 feet high and 5 to 6 feet in diameter, composed almost entirely 
of pottery fragments, with a capping of humus. It is not improbable 
that this was the spot on which the ceremonial destruction of those 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 115 

incense burners took place, the fragments being scattered in all direc- 
tions around the entire circumference of the large mound. 

Mound No. 22 

Mound No. 22, situated at Saltillo, near the mouth of the Rio 
Nuevo, northern district of British Honduras, was partially explored 
in 1908-9 on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of Liverpool 
University. The mound was about 30 feet high; it was built of 
limestone blocks, limestone dust, and rubble. It stands at one 
corner of a quadrangular space measuring 80 by 35 yards, and ele- 
vated from 4 to 5 feet above the surrounding ground level. This 
space is encompassed by four mounds, joined by a bank or rampart 
averaging 10 feet high. Around the base of the mound a great number 
of fragments of pottery incense burners were found, with the images of 
the gods, which decorated them externally. Eight complete heads 
and two broken ones were recovered, together with arms, legs, bodies 
with quilted cotton breastplates andmaxtlis, elaborate headdresses, and 
various objects held in the hands of the figures. These vessels are 
almost exactly similar to those found along the valley of the Usu- 
masintla and Rio de la Pasion, described by Seler in "his "Antiquities 
of Guatemala." Rude specimens, with the face of the god only 
decorating the outside of the vessel, were found by Sapper and 
Charnay in use among the Lacandon Indians a few years ago. The 
dress and ornaments of these clay figurines, which vary from 1 to 2 
feet in height, are those found almost universally throughout the 
Maya area. The large circular ear ornaments, with a tassel or 
twisted pendant hanging from the center, the curious projecting 
curved ornament above the nose, the small button-like labrets at 
each corner of the mouth, are present in all, and are highly charac- 
teristic. On all the feet elaborate sandals are worn, fastened by 
thongs attached between the first and second and third and fourth 
toes, with a band passing around the ankle ending in a broad depend- 
ent flap. Around the legs are plain bands and strings of beads; 
around the wrists, strings of beads, in some cases fastened by an 
ornamental loop. The breastplates are of quilted cotton, some very 
elaborate, and decorated with beads, studs, and tassels, while below 
the breastplate covering the genitals is the maxili, or small apron, 
commonly worn by both Maya and Aztec. The objects held in 
the hands consist of birds, fans, globes, incense burners, and other 
less easily distinguishable artieles. The whole of the space within 
the earthwork appears to have been sprinkled with these fragments 
of pottery vases and idols, but it was only around the base of the large 
mound that entire heads were found. The fragments seem to have 
been, originally placed on the earth, and in course of time to have 
been covered by a thin, layer of humus from decaying vegetation, 



116 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

as many of them still lie on the surface, and nowhere are they buried 
more than a few inches, except at the base of the mound, where 
earth from its side, washed down by rains, would naturally have 
covered them with a slightly deeper layer. On making excavations 
at various points within the enclosed space, the floor was found to 
consist first of the earth which contained the broken incense burners, 
with some blocks of limestone, and beneath this of a layer about 4 
feet thick composed of marl dust, very small fragments of pottery, 
and rubble, welded together into an almost cement-like mass. 

Mound No. 23 

Mound No. 23 was situated near the northern end of Chetumal 
Bay, on the east coast of Yucatan. The mound was 12 feet in height, 
roughly circular in shape, and 12 yards in diameter at the base. 
The top was flattened, and near its center a circular space 10 feet 
in diameter was inclosed by a low, rougldy built stone wall. On 
digging within this space there were brought to light, immediately 
beneath the surface, the following objects: 

(a) Part of a large hourglass-shaped incense burner in rough 
pottery, decorated with a human figure in high relief, 20 inches high. 
Unfortunately the left arm and leg and part of the chest are missing 
from this figure, which, judging by the headdress, curved nose, and 
tusk-like teeth, is probably intended to represent the God Cuculcan. 
The left foot is sandaled, and on the left wrist is a loop-fastened string 
of beads, while over the front of the chest hangs a breastplate of 
quilted cotton, decorated with flaps and fastened over the shoulders. 1 
Round the neck is a flat gorget, decorated with round bosses, and 
in the ears are large circular ear plugs with tassels dependent from 
their centers. Over the upper part of the nose is a curious curved, 
snake-like ornament. The lofty headdress, with broad flaps extend- 
ing over each ear almost to the shoulders, lias in front the head and 
upper jaw of some mythological animal, the latter projecting well 
over the face of the god, as if in the act of swallowing him. Point- 
ing downward from the plumed ornament on the right side of the figure 
(the corresponding one on the left has been broken away) is a cro- 
talus head, which so often accompanies representations of this god. 
The figure still exhibits traces of blue and white paint on that part of 
the face protected by the broad flap of the headdress, and originally 
doubtless the whole was painted in various colors, which first 
exposure to rain and afterward burial in moist earth, have almost 
completely obliterated, (b) An earthenware figure, 26 inches in 



1 It would appear that these thick woven or plaited cotton breastplates were fortified with salt. 
Landa, op. cit., p. 48: " Y sus rodelas y iacos fuertes de sal y algodon." 

Ibid. p. 172: " Hazian xacos de algodon colchados y de sal por rnoler colchada de dos tandas ocolchaduras, 
y estos eran fortissimos." 



GANN] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 117 

height, which doubtless at one time ornamented the outer surface of 
a large incense burner. The left foot and leg are gone; the right foot 
is covered with a sandal held on by a curved heelpiece rising above 
the back of the ankle, and fastened in a bow in front of < the instep, 
while a leather thong passing between the great and second toe is 
attached to this, holding the front part of the sandal in place. 
Round the leg is a broad band, with a row of semilunar ornaments 
projecting downward from it. The maxili has been broken away, 
but the quilted cotton chest covering is still in position. This is 
held in place by bands passing over the shoulders, and is ornamented 
by a row of five circular studs passing down its center, with long 
tassels below, which must have hung on each side of the maxili, 
and tassels above, attached near the shoulder, which hang down on 
each side of it. The throat is covered by a broad band, decorated 
along its lower edge with four pairs of small circular studs. Round 
the left wrist is a bracelet composed of six flat oval beads, fastened 
in front by an ornamental loop. The left arm is. extended, and in 
the hand, held palm upward, is grasped an acorn-shaped object 
from which project nine spikes. From each side of the mouth 
project long curved tusks. The nose is of unusual shape, being 
long, straight, and slender; the bridge is covered by a curved snake- 
like object. The headdress rises 6 inches above the superciliary 
ridges; its lower part consists of the head and upper mandible of 
the bill of some bud, probably a hawk or eagle. Above this rises a 
hollow cylindrical erection, with the upper border scalloped, sup- 
ported on each side by objects which suggest broad stone blades, 
halted in club-shaped handles, and ornamented in front with a 
plume of feathers. There can be little doubt that this figure is 
meant to represent the God Itzamna, as the sunken cheeks, the 
single large tooth on each side of the mouth, and the prominent, 
though well-formed nose, are all characteristics of this god. (c) An 
earthenware figure, closely similar in size and appearance to those 
just described. Of the face only the left eye, the left side of the 
mouth, and the nose are left; the last named is short, rounded, and 
well formed, and is ornamented at its root with a small round stud. 
(d) Fragments of a rough bowl of yellowish pottery, which must 
have been of considerable size. Unfortunately only four fragments 
were found; these exhibit on their outer surfaces parts of a hiero- 
glyphic inscription, rougldy incised in the clay while it was soft, 
with some sharp-pointed instrument. Of the many glyphic inscrip- 
tions which have been found at different times in British Hon- 
duras, painted on pottery and stucco and incised on pottery, stone, 
and other material, none has proved to be an initial series, which 
would fix the period in the Maya long count when the mounds, temples, 
burial places, and other monuments scattered throughout this 



118 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

colony, were constructed. According to recent researches the latest 
date recorded by an initial series on the monoliths of Quirigua, in 
Guatemala, is within about 70 years of the earliest date recorded by 
any of the initial series found up to the present among- the ruins 
of Yucatan. 1 As the tide of Maya migration was undoubtedly from 
south to north, and as British Honduras stands midway between 
Guatemala and Yucatan, it is only reasonable to suppose that the 
colonization of the greater part of it by the Maya took place at 
some period between the abandonment of the cities of Quirigua and 
Coban, and the rise of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and other Yucatan 
cities. This theory is borne out by the fact that the hieroglyphic 
inscriptions and pictographs found in the colony are closely allied 
to those found both in the northern and southern cities; moreover, 
the painted stucco and wooden lintels so common in Yucatan, but 
not found in the south, are present here, while the sculptured stelae 
found in the south, but of extreme rarity in northern Yucatan, are 
(though not very numerous and poorly executed) found in British 
Honduras, (e) Large quantities of fragments of rough pottery vases 
and bowls; some of these evidently belonged to hourglass-shaped 
incense burners, 2 to 3 feet high, decorated with incised lines and 
glyphs, raised bands, and studs, but without human figures on their 
exterior surfaces. A number of these fragments were taken down to 
the camp of some chicle bleeders in the vicinity; unfortunately in 
the night the palm-leaf shelters caught fire and the whole camp was 
burned to the ground, most of the potsherds being lost or destroyed. 
Among these were probably the missing parts of the clay figures 
and of the hieroglyphic-covered pot. The whole of the mound was 
dug down, but with the exception of traces of a wall built of squared 
stones on the ground level, nothing worthy of note was found in it. 
It is almost certain that this mound had never been visited from 
the time of its erection till its discovery last year by chicle bleeders 
looking for sapodilla trees in this very remote corner of Yucatan. 
The clay images were lying on the top of the mound, partially 
uncovered, and had anyone, even an Indian, visited the place, they 
would almost certainly have removed these, as there is always a 
ready market for idolos, as the Indians call every relic of their ances- 
tors, among curio collectors who visit Belize. 

Mound No. 24 

Mound No. 24 was situated near the coast, at the northern extrem- 
ity of Chetumal Bay, in Yucatan. This mound was 10 feet high 
by about 10 yards in diameter. Upon the summit, which was 
flattened, were found a great number of rough potsherds, partially 
buried in a layer of humus from 6 to 12 inches deep. These were evi- 

• Morley, An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs, p. 15. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 20 




INCENSE BURNER FROM MOUND NO. 24 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF" YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



119 



dently fragments of incense burners, as arms, legs, and parts of head- 
dresses, faces, maxtlis, and breastplates were plentiful among them. 
Near the center of the summit, partially projecting from the earth, 
was discovered the almost complete incense burner shown in plate 20 
and figure 67. The vessel which served as a receptacle for the 
incense is 152 inches high by 9 inches in diameter at the mouth. The 
human figure which decorates the side of the vessel is 22 inches in 
height from the top of the headdress to the sole of the sandals. The 
figurine was not complete when first discovered, as the hands, arms, 
feet, maxtli, and feather ornaments from the sides and headdress were 
missing; nearly all of these, however, were unearthed, mixed with 
other pieces of pottery, not far from the incense burner. The head- 
dress consists of a flat, broad cap with slightly projecting rim and 
large quadrangular flaps, which extend 
downward and outward over the large 
ear plugs. The back of the cap ex- 
tends upward 3 inches; the crown is 
decorated with feather ornaments, 
while on each side appears an object 
resembling half an ear of maize, from 
the top of which depends a tassel. 
The nose is sharp, thin, and promi- 
nent; starting on each side of it and 
passing down almost to the angles of 
the jaw, where it ends in a little up- 
ward curl, is what might be intended 
as either a mustache or some form of 
nose ornament. From each angle of 
the mouth projects a circular labret; 
this evidently passes behind the upper 
lip, which it causes to bulge consider- 
ably. The ear plugs are large, round, 
and funnel-shaped (pi. 20); these, as 
well as the shoulders, show traces of 
blue paint, with which the entire figure- 
was evidently at one time covered. Around the neck is a flat collar 
decorated with five circular studs, to the sides and front of which is 
attached a hollow cylindrical bar, which supports the quilted cotton 
breastplate. The latter is decorated with six tassels, three above 
and three below, and below it is seen the plain apron (maxtli), which 
descends almost to the sandals. The shoulders are covered with caps 
or epaulets reaching just below the armpits ; on the forearms are brace- 
lets, fastened with loops on the inner side, and on the feet sandals, 
held in place by vertical heelpieces and thongs, and decorated with 
large flaps, which almost cover the dorsum of each foot. Attached 




Fig. 67.— Another view of incense burner 
shown in plate 20. 



120 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[BULL. 64 



to the incense burner, and forming a background for the figure, are pro- 
jecting feather ornaments extending from the headdress to the elbow. 
The mound was dug away to the ground level. It was found to 
be built of blocks of limestone and earth, but nothing of moment was 
found in it with the exception of numerous potsherds of all kinds. 

Mound No. 25 

Mound No. 25 was situated in the country of the Icaiche Indians, 
Quintana Roo, Yucatan. The mo mid was discovered by the Indians 
when cutting down virgin bush to make a milpa, or corn plantation. 

It was a moderate-sized mound, 
about 10 feet high, and upon its 
summit, uncovered, lay the ob- 
jects illustrated in figures 68, 69, 
and 70. Figure 68 exhibits a 
roughly formed clay figurine, 
nearly 1 foot in height, decorat- 
ing a small hourglass-shaped in- 
cense burner. Both figure and 
vase are very crudely modeled in 
rough pottery; most of the prom- 
inent characteristics of the care- 
fully modeled and elaborately 
decorated incense burner repre- 
sented in plate 20 and figure 67 
are still retained. The large 
round ear plugs, with long flaps 
from the headdress overlapping 

Fig. 68.— Incense burner decorated with crude clay them, the horizontally striated 
figurine from Mound No. 25. , . , . -, -.. . 

breastplate, and even a rudiment- 
ary maxtli, together with the extended position of the arms, as if in the 
actofmakhiganoffering,andthebackgromidoffeatherworkarefeatures 
which may be recognized. There is exhibited, however, a lamentable 
d ecadence from the art which fabricated the more elaborate vase. In 
figure 69 may be seen what probably represents a further stage of de- 
generation — namely, the substitution of the head for the entire figure 
on the outside of the incense burner. The last stage of all in the 
decadence of this branch of Maya art is to be seen in the small 
crude bowls found by Sapper in the great Christa of the settlement of 
Izan, and by Charnay in the ruins of Menche Tinamit. 1 These bowls, 

1 Accounts of the finding of these incense burners and of copal are common in both ancient and modern 
times. "Halle en una de las dos Capillas cacao ofrccido, y serial de copal (que es su incienso) de poco 
tiempo alii quemado, y que lo era de algunasupersticion, 6idolatria recien cometida.' — Cogolludo, His- 
toria de Yucathan, Bk. IV, Cap. vn, p. 193. 

"Y los que ivan tenian de costumbre de entrar tambien en templos derelictos, quando passavan por 
ellos a orar y quemar copal." — Landa, op. cit., p. 158. 




•gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



121 



each decorated with a roughly modeled human face, are manufac- 
tured by the modem Indians and used by them in burning copal 
gum in the ruins of the temples erected by their ancestors. Figure 70 
shows a life-sized hollow head, in rough pottery, with a thin hollow 
neck, probably used to carry around in processions on the top of a long 
pole. There can be no doubt that these bowls and hourglass-shaped 
vessels, each decorated externally with a human figure or face, usually 
that of a god, were used as incense burners, since a number of them, as 
already stated, were found in a 
mound at Santa Rita with half 
burnt out incense still contained 
in them. Moreover, their use for 
this purpose persists to the present 
day among the Lacandones * and 
even among the Santa Cruz 
Indians. These incense burners 
occur most frequently in the cen- 
tral part of the Maya area and are 
not common in northern Yucatan 
or southern Guatemala. Three 
distinct types are found : The first 
include the large, well-modeled 
specimens found in and around 
burial mounds, decorated with 
the complete figure of the god 
(usually Cuculcan or Itzamna), 
having every detail in clothing 
and ornament carefully executed 
in high relief. These are all prob- 
ably pre-Columbian, and such as 
have been found seem to have been used only as ceremonial mor- 
tuary incense burners, to be broken into fragments (which were 
scattered through or over the burial mound) immediately after use. 

"While searching the upper steps of the pyramid my men found two interesting incense vessels with 
a head on the rim."— Malee, Researches in the Central Portion of the I'sumatsintla Valley, Part 2, 
p. 13G. 

"In nearly all the houses (speaking of Yaxchilan) I found earthen pots, partly filled with some half- 
burned resinous substance. . . . They were in great numbers round the idol in the house I lived in. 
Some looked much newer than others, and many are in such positions that it was clear that they had been 
placed there since the partial destruction of the houses."— Maudslay, Explorations in Guatemala, 
pp. 185-204. 

Charnay, Voyage au Yucatan et au pays des Lacandons, pp. 33-48. 

"Se trouvent une multitude de vases d'une terre grossiero, et d'une forme nouvelle; ce sont des bols 
de dix a quinze centimetres de diametre sur cinq a six de hauteur, dont les bords sont ornes de masque 
humains representant des figures camardes et d'autres a grands nez busqugs, ventables caricatures ou 
l'art fait completement ddfaut. . . . (es vases servaient do brule-parfums, et la plupart sont encore a 
moitie pleins de copal."— Charnay, ibid., p. 88. 

1 "These incense-burners are used by the Lacandones in their religious ceremonies. Each family or 
group of connected families living together possesses several of the incense-burners or braseros."— Tozzer, 
Comparative Study of the Mayas and Lacandones, p. 84. 




Fig. 69. — Crude clay figurine found in Mound 
No. 25. 



122 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 64 



The specimen shown in plate 20 and figure 67 is a typical example of 
this class. 

Incense burners of the second type are smaller, cruder, and probably 
later in date than those of the first type. Some of these are deco- 
rated with the entire figure, but more of them with the face only of 
the god. 

Villagutierre tells us that the Indians of this region as late as the 
end of the seventeenth century still practiced to some extent the 
rites of their ancient religion; 1 and in the voyages which he describes 

up the Rio Hondo, and to 
Tipu, the Spaniards must 
frequently have come in con- 
tact with the ancestors of 
the present Santa Cruz and 
Icaiche Indians, from whose 
territory the specimens 
shown in figures 68 and 69, 
typical examples of this 
class, were taken. During 
the early years of the Spanish 
occupancy it is probable that 
the Indians, even in this re- 
mote and little visited region, 
living in a constant state of 
semiwarfare and rebellion, 
robbed, enslaved, driven 
from their villages, with 
little time to cultivate their 
milpas, gradually lost their 
ancient traditions and arts, 
and, long neglecting, ultimately almost entirely forgot, the elaborate 
ritual connected with their former religion. Such a decadence may 
be observed in comparing the incense burners illustrated in plate 20 
and figure 68. The very marked facial characteristics of the former 
have given place to the crudely modeled, vacuous face of the latter, 
resembling the work of a child; while the elaborate dress and orna- 
ment, each minutest part of which probably had a special significance 
and symbolism, though retaining to some extent the form of their 
main constituents — the headdress, breastplate, maxtli, and sandals — 
have almost completely lost the wealth of detail which gave them 
significance. 

1 " Y las dos mas grandes, de Comunidad, y la otra, aun mas grande, que todas las otras, era el Adoratorio 
de los perversos Idolos de aquellos Lacandones, donde se hallaron muehos de ellos, de formas raras, como 
assimismo cantidad de Gallinas muertas, Brasseros, con senales de aver quemado Copal; y aun se hallaron 
las cenizas calientes, y otras diversas, ridiculas, y abominables cosas, perteneeientes a la execicuion desus 
perversos Ritos, y Sacrifieios." — Villagutierre, op. cit., p. 264. 




Fig. 70.— Crude clay figurine found in Mound No. 25. 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



123 



Incense burners of the third type are decorated with a very crude 
representation of the face only of the god, consisting in some cases 
merely of slits for the eyes and mouth, with a conical projection for 
the nose, on the outer surface of the vessel. Some of the faces are 
represented conventionally by two ears, with ear plugs, one on each 
side of the vessel, or by knobs of clay on its outer edge, which repre- 
sent the hair. Lastly, the incense burner, which may be recognized 
by its hourglass shape, may be quite plain and undecorated. 

The third type is probably the latest in point of time; 1 this includes 
the crude face-decorated bowls still used by the modern Lacandones, 2 
among whom the ritual, as is so frequently the case, seems to have 
survived almost in its entirety the faith which gave birth to it. 
This is the more readily comprehensible when we remember that the 
manufacture and use of these ceremonial incense burners was practiced 
commonly by all classes of the people, not having been restricted, 
like most other details of the Maya ritual, solely to the priests. 




fCZ 



Fig. 71. — Small pottery vases found in Mound No. 26. 

Mound No. 26 



Mound No. 26 was situated in a clearing about 7 miles to the south 
of Corozal, in the northern part of British Honduras. There were 
about 20 mounds, irregularly grouped, in this clearing, varying from 
6 to 12 feet in height and from 50 to 120 feet in circumference. The 
mound was 8 feet high by 80 feet in circumference. It was built of 
rough blocks of limestone, limestone dust, and earth, 'tightly packed 

1 See Tozzer, op. cit., p. 87: "If we consider the type of bowl with the knob-like projection as a transi- 
tion form, we are led to the conclusion that the most primitive form of incense burner was the bowl on 
which was represented the whole body at first, and then the head of a person or animal." 

Ibid., p. 91: "The Lacandones assert that in former times the incense burners were made in other forms, 
some possessing arms and legs. These are seldom made or used now." 

2 These face-decorated bowls were in use as incense burners among the Mayas of Valladolid, very shortly 
after the conquest. See Relacion de la villa de Valladolid, p. 185: " Adoraban unos idolos hechos de barro 
a manera de jarillos y de macetas de albahaca, hechos en ellos de la parte de afuera rostros desemejados, 
queraaban dentro de estos una resina llamada copal, de gran oler. Esto les ofrecian a estos idolos, y ellos 
cortaban en muchas, partes de sus miembros y ofrecian aquella sangre." 

See also Relacion de los pueblos de Popola, y Sinsimato y Samiol, pp. 44-45: "Usaban de adorar unos 
jarrillos hechos en ellos rostros desemejados, teniandolos por sus ydolos quemavan dentro y ofresian una 
resina llamada copal ques como trementina elada, de gran olor, y se cortavan en muchas partes para ofrecer 
la sangre a aquel ydolo." 



124 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 04 

together, forming a tough, resistant mass. The mound was com- 
pletely removed to the ground level, but nothing of interest except 
chips of flint, fragments of obsidian knives, and potsherds was found 
till the ground level was reached. Lying upon this, near the center 
of the mound, were found the two small vases represented in figure 
71, a, h. Each is about 6 inches in diameter; the one marked a is 
of polished red pottery, nearly globular hi shape; b is of dark 
chocolate-colored pottery, also finely polished. There was a space 
of about 4 feet between the two vessels, in which were found frag- 
ments of human bones. 

Mound No. 27 

Mound No. 27 was situated within 100 yards of the next preceding, 
compared with which it was slightly smaller. It was built of blocks 
of limestone, limestone dust, and earth. No remains were found in 
the mound till the ground level was reached. Resting on this, 
about the center of the mound, lay a small vase 
(fig. 72), 8 inches in height, of rough red pottery. 
Close to this were a few fragments of human 
bones and some teeth. This mound contained 
nothing else of interest. 

Mound No. 28 

Mound No. 28 was situated close to Nos. 26 and 
27, and was built of similar material. It was 6 feet 
high by 120 feet in circumference. On the ground 
fig. 72.~Red pottery level about the center of the mo mid lay a circular, 
vase found in Mound flat-bottomed bowl 8 inches hi diameter, painted a 
dark chocolate color and polished . A hole had been 
bored in its bottom and the bowl itself was broken into three pieces. 
With it was an irregularly shaped piece of flint about 5 inches in 
length, into which nearly 20 circular holes had been bored. It would 
appear that this piece of flint had been used to test the merits of vari- 
ous boring implements, as some of the holes were shallow depressions, 
while others were half an inch deep. Most of them were mere circu- 
lar depressions of varying diameters, with a smooth flat bottom, and 
had evidently been made with a solid cylindrical borer , others, how- 
ever, had a solid core projecting from their bottom, and appeared to 
have been bored with a hollow cylinder; while a third variety had a 
small indentation at the summit of this central core. No further exca- 
vation was done in this group of mounds, as they all appeared to be 
sepulchral, belonging to persons of the poorer class, hence it was 
considered very improbable that objects of interest would be found 
in them. 




BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 21 




a. SMALL VASE DECORATED WITH HUMAN HEAD 




b. HUMAN BONES FROM MOUND NO. 29 



gann] maya indians of yucatan and british honduras 125 

Mound No. 29 

Mound No. 29, situated close to the seashore, near Corozal, was of 
unusual construction, being built throughout of marl dust. It was 
a low, flat mound, 2 feet in height by 25 feet in diameter. . Nothing 
of human origin was found in it with the exception of a few rough 
potsherds. On reaching the ground level two circular well-like holes, 
2 feet in diameter, were discovered, about 15 feet apart. At the top 
both openings were covered with large blocks of limestone, on removing 
which it was found that each hole was filled with marl dust, enclosing 
in both cases a single male human skeleton. The knees had been forci- 
bly flexed on the thighs, and the thighs on the pelvis, while the back 
had been bent till the head, which rested on the folded arms, almost 
touched the symphysis pubis. Evidently the body had been doubled 
up at the time of burial, so as to fit tightly into the cavity, and had 
been further compressed by ramming down large stones on top of 
the marl dust with which it was surrounded. 1 The bones hi one 
of the graves were in an excellent state of preservation, as may be 
seen from plate 21, b; they are those of a young adult male, prob- 
ably somewhat more than 5 feet in height, of poor muscular develop- 
ment. The teeth are excellent; the skull is decidedly brachicephalic, 
the measurements being: Length, 15.4 cm.; breadth, 17.5 cm.; 
circumference, 52 cm.; cephalic index, 113. Beneath this skele- 
ton were found an unfinished flint arrowhead, four fragments of 
small obsidian knives, and the broken fragments of a small, round, 
unpolished chocolate-colored bowl. 

The bones hi the other cist, though placed apparently under pre- 
cisely the same conditions as the one first opened, were found to be 
so friable that they crumbled into fragments when an effort was 
made to remove them Beneath them were found only fragments of 
obsidian knives. 

Mound No. 30 

Mound No. 30, situated close to Corozal, was completely dug down, 
and was found to contain multiple burials. The mound was 8 feet hi 
height, roughly circular, and 40 feet in diameter. It was capped by a 
layer of reddish-brown earth, 6 niches to 1 foot in thickness, beneath 
which were alternate layers of soft cement, each about 1 foot thick, and 
of small limestone rubble about 2 feet thick. Scattered over the sur- 
face of the mound, just beneath the earth capping, were found a nuni- 
ber of fragments of clay figurines. The best preserved of these were 
three human faces, an arm with the hand holding a small bird, a bird's 
head, an alligator's head, and a plaited cotton breastplate. At 
depths varying from 2 to 3 feet, six interments were found; of these 

1 "Que en muriendo la persona, para sepultar el cuerpo le doblan las piernas y ponen la cara sobre las 
rodillas . . . abren en tierra un hoyo redondo."— Cogolludo, op. cit., Bk. xu, Chap, vu, p. 699. 



126 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

only a few fragments of the skull and long bones remained, not 
enough to determine even the position in which the corpse had been 
placed at burial. With the bones, hi some cases close to them, in 
others at some little distance, the following objects were discovered : 
One rubbing stone (for grinding corn), 2 pear-shaped flints, 9 flint 
hammerstones, 1 ax head, 1 flint scraper, 1 broken hone of slate, 1 
flint spearhead, 2 fossil shells, 2 pieces of brick-like pottery, 1 pot- 
tery disk, 3 small beads, and 1 shell. 

On reaching the ground level of hard compact earth, it was found 
that an oblong trench had been cut through the latter down to the lime- 
stone rock beneath, 3 feet in breadth, and varying from 2 to 4 feet in 
depth; this trench had been filled in with small rubble. In its inner 
wall, at the north side of the quadrangle, three interments had been 
made by scooping out small cists in the earth, depositing the remains 
therein, and filling in with limestone dust and rubble. With one of 
these burials was found a small three-legged pot, of rough, unpolished 
pottery; with another, a vessel in the form of a quadruped, 7 inches 
in length, the identity of which is difficult to determine; and with the 
third a small saucer-shaped vessel of red ware, and a nearly spherical 
vessel of dark polished red ware. Within the latter were discovered 
a few small animal bones, some fresh-water snail shells (as are found 
at the present day hi the neighboring swamps and eaten by the 
Indians), and a few bivalve shells. It seems probable that this 
vessel contained food, either as an offering to the gods or for the use 
of the deceased in his passage to the next world. It is not uncom- 
mon to find considerable accumulations of the shells of conchs, 
cockles, snails, and other edible shellfish, with the bones and teeth of 
deer, tiger, gibnut, snake, and (along the seashore) manatee, in 
British Honduras mounds; but the remains of food offerings con- 
tained within a vessel are of rare occurrence. 1 

A number of these large flat mounds containing multiple burials 
have been from time to time completely dug down near Corozal, in 
order to obtain stone for repairing the streets. Beneath nearly all 
of them were found trenches cut through the earth down to the 
subjacent limestone. These trenches varied from 2 to 5 feet in 
breadth ; in the case of the smaller mounds they formed a parallelo- 
gram, a triangle, or even a single straight line; hi the larger mounds 
two parallelograms were j oined by parallel trenches (see fig. 23 ) . They 
were invariably filled with small rubble, and a few of them contained 

1 Among the modern Maya Indians of this area food is no longer placed with the dead, but every Hanal 
pishan, or All Souls' Day, tortillas, posol, meat, and other foods are placed upon the graves, on the odor of 
which the soul of the departed is supposed to regale itself. Tozzer mentions the custom of burying food 
with the dead as still practiced by the modern Lacandones. (See Tozzer, A comparative Study of the 
Mayas and the Lacandones, pp. 47-48.) 

See also Cogolludo, op. oit., Bk. xn, Chap, vii, p. 699: "Al rededor le ponen mucha vianda, 
una xieara, tin calabaco con atole, salvados de maiz, y unas tortillas grandes de lo mismo, que nan 
llevado juntamente con el cuerpo, y assi lo cubren despues con tierra." 



gaxx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 127 

interments in their walls. The purpose of these trenches is difficult to , 
surmise, as they could hardly have served as foundations; drainage 
was unnecessary; and, while the trenches themselves were never em- 
ployed for sepulchral purposes, it is only occasionally that a few 
burials are found within cists excavated in the earth along their 
margins. 

Three kinds of burial seem to have been commonly employed 
among the ancient inhabitants of this part of the Maya area. The 
poorest class were buried in large flat mounds, some of them a half 
an acre in extent and containing as many as 40 to 50 interments. 
The body was usually buried with the feet drawn under the pelvis, 
the knees flexed on the abdomen, the arms crossed over the chest, and 
the face pressed down on the knees ; the position, in fact, in which it 
would occupy the smallest possible space. With the remains are usu- 
ally found a few objects of the roughest workmanship, as flint hammer- 
stones, scrapers, and spearheads, pottery or shell beads, stone 
metates and henequen scrapers, small obsidian knives and cores, 
and unglazed, rough pottery vessels. In the second class of burials, 
each individual has a mound, varying from 2 to 30 feet in height, to 
himself. Several mounds of this class have already been described 
from the- neighborhood of Corozal. The objects found with inter- 
ments of this class are usually more numerous and of better workman- 
ship than those found in the multiple burial mounds, though they 
do not show much greater variety. The position of the skeleton, 
where it has been possible to ascertain this, is usually the same as in 
the multiple burial mounds; occasionally, however, it is found in the 
prone position, and, in rare instances, buried head down. The third 
mode of burial was probably reserved for priests, caciques, and other 
important individuals. The interment took place in a stone cist or 
chamber, within a large mound, varying from 20 to 50 feet in height. 
The skeleton is f ound in the prone position, surrounded by well painted 
and decorated vases, together with beautiful greenstone, shell, obsid- 
ian, and mother-of-pearl beads, gorgets, studs, ear plugs, and other 
ornaments. 1 Some of these mounds contain two or even three cham- 
bers or cists, superimposed one upon the other. The skeleton is 
then usually found in the top cist, the accompanying objects being 
placed in the lower ones. In one instance partial cremation seemed 
to have been practiced, as fragments of half-burned human bones 
were found in a large pottery urn. 

1 This practice of burying with the dead some of their belongings is men! ioned both by Landa and Villa- 
gut ierre. 

"Enterravanlos dentro en sus casas o a las espaldas dellas, echandoles en la sepultura algunos de sus 
idolos, y si era sacerdote algunos de sus libros, y si hechizero de sus piedras de hechizos y peltrechos!" — 
Landa, op. eit., p. 196. 

" Tenian por costurabre estos Indios, de sepultar los Difuntos en los Campos, a corta distancia del Pueblo, 
y poner sobre las Sepultf.ras de los Yarones Banquitos, Puquietes, y o'.ras cosas del vso varonil; y sobre 
las de las Mugeres, Piedras de moler, Ollas, Xicaras, y otros trastos a este modo."— Villagutierre, op. 
eit.. p. 313. 



128 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 

Mound No. 31 



[ BULL. 64 



Mound No. 31 was situated close to the Rio Nuevo, about 16 miles 
from its mouth, in the northern part of British Honduras. It was a 
somewhat flattened mound, 15 feet in height, built of blocks of lime- 
stone, limestone dust, and earth. At a depth of 9 feet, the angle of a 
ruined building, formed by two walls averaging 2 feet high, intersect- 
ing at right angles, and built of squared blocks of limestone, was 




Fig. 73.— Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 31. 

brought to light. The walls enclosed part of a floor of smooth, hard 
cement. Numbers of blocks of squared stone were found throughout 
the upper part of the mound, which had evidently at one tune formed 
part of the ruined building. Resting on the cement floor, close to the 
wall, were found nine pottery vessels, covered with limestone dust. 
Five of these were of the type shown in figure 73, a, of dark-red, rather 
coarse pottery, 12 inches in diameter at the run. One, pictured in 
figure 74, is the usual Maya chocolate pot, similar to the one already 
described (see fig. 24, g), except that the spout, instead of bending 

inward toward the vessel, passes directly 
\C~7 ~7 upward parallel to its perpendicular axis, 

an arrangement which must have ren- 
dered it far easier to drink from the ves- 
sel or pour fluid out of it. The three 
other vessels found are illustrated in fig- 
ures 73, b, c, and d ; b is of polished choco- 
late-brown pottery, 3 inches in diameter 
by 5 inches in height; c is of thick red 
pottery, 3 inches high, with two small 
handles for suspension, one on each side; 
d is of coarse polished red ware, unusually thick and clumsy, 12 
inches high by 8 inches in diameter. Each of these vessels con- 
tained a single small polished greenstone bead. No other objects 
wore found associated with them, and there was no trace of human 
bones. Excavations were made in this mound to the ground level 
without results. The lower part of the mound was built of large 
blocks of limestone and rubble, held loosely together with friable 
mortar. 




Fig. 



74. — Chocolate pot found in 
Mound No. 31. 



gann] maya indians of yucatan and british honduras 129 

Mound No. 32 

Mound No. 32 was situated quite close to No. 31, which it Very 
closely resembled in. "both size and construction. At a depth of 
9 feet the end of a small building constructed of squared blocks of 
limestone was brought to light. The walls were still standing to a 
height of 2 to 3 feet, and showed traces of a red stucco covering on 
their inner surfaces. The cement floor of the building and the plat- 
form upon which it stood could also be traced. Lying upon this 
floor were five pottery vessels and an unfinished flint celt. Two 
of these vessels were precisely similar to that shown in figure 73, a; 
one is a large, circular, shallow plaque, of rather thick reddish-brown 
pottery, in the center of which a small hole has been made, evidently 
with the object of rendering the plaque useless. The last two vessels 
are illustrated in figure 75, a, h. A is an unusually large vessel of very 
coarse, thick, red pottery, 18 inches high, which had probably been 




1/^xi 



Fig. 75.— Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 32. 

used to contain corn or some such dry material, as the pottery was 
too friable and soft for a cooking pot, or even to hold water. B is a 
small three-legged vase, 4 inches high, of coarse, unpainted pottery. 
Each of these five vessels, with the exception of the plaque, contained 
a single polished greenstone bead. The celt was roughly blocked out 
of yellowish flint. No objects except those above described were found 
with these vessels, nor were there any traces of human burial. Exca- 
vations were made in the mound to the ground level, and it was found 
to be composed below the platform upon which the building stood of 
a solid mass of rubble and limestone held together by loose, friable 
mortar. There are numerous groups of mounds of all sizes in the 
neighborhood, and judging by these, and by the potsherds and flint 
and obsidian chips which one finds strewn over the surface of the 
soil in great profusion, it must have been a densely populated region 
70806°— 18— Bull. 64 9 



130 



BUREAU OF AMEKICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[hcll. 64 




Fig. 76.— Head cut from limestone found in 
Mound No. 32. 



at one timo. The two life-size human heads shown infigures 76 and 77 
were found close to these two mounds in digging a posthole. Fig- 
ure 76 represents a grotesque head cut from a solid block of crystal- 
line limestone. Figure 77 is a mask, 
rather crudely cut from greenstone and 
unpolished. Both were buried in the 
marl and were unaccompanied by other 
objects. 

Mound No. 33 



Mound No. 33 was situated near 
Bacalar, in the Province of Quintana 
Roo, Mexico. It was 6 feet in height 
by 20 feet in diameter, and was built 
of blocks of limestone, limestone dust, 
and earth. Near the summit of this 
mound, close to the surface, was found 
the small soapstone lamp illustrated 
in figure 78, 4f inches in length, by If 
inches in depth. The lamp is deco- 
rated in front with a floral design, 
and at the back by wing or feather-like ornaments, possibly meant 
to represent the tail and half -folded wings of a bird. It is finely 
polished throughout but had probably never been used, as in hol- 
lowing out the interior the maker had carried one of his strokes too 
close to the surface, making a small hole, which would have allowed 
the oil to escape. There is a 
freedom and lack of convention- 
ality, both hi the pleasing and 
natural floral design and in the 
flowing lines of the back part of 
this little lamp, which are to- 
tally unlike the cramped and 
highly conventional style to be 
observed in similar small objects 
of ancient Maya manufacture. 
So widely does it differ from 
Maya standards that there 
can be but little doubt that it 
was introduced in post-Colum- 
bian days, probably very soon 
after the conquest, especially as in the same mound was found one 
of the small painted clay figurines so common in mounds in this 
neighborhood, which with the censers probably belonged to the 




Fig. 77. — Greenstone mask found in Mound No. 32. 




/ 




gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 131 

latest period of Maya culture. Another explanation which suggests 
itself is that the lamp was buried in the mound at a much later 
date (possibly during the troublous times of the Indian rebellions, 
between 1840 and 1850) by someone who wished to hide it tem- 
porarily, and that it had no connection with the original purpose 
of the mound. No other objects were found in this mound, with 
the exception of a number of potsherds, till the ground level was 
reached, where, near the center of the mound, the painted clay figur- 
ine shown in plate 22 was uncovered. This represents a deer with a 
human head, whose headdress is the upper jaw of some mythological 
animal. . The back of the figure, which is hollow, contains a small open- 
ing near the tail, covered with a conical plug of clay. Within were 




Fig. 78.— Soapstone lamp found in Mound No. 33. 

two small beads, one of polished red shell, the other of polished green- 
stone. The whole figurine had been coated with lime wash, over 
which were painted black lines, dots, and circles. 1 The human face, 
earrings, gorget, and part of the headdress are painted blue, while 
the mouth of both the human face and the face in the headdress are 
painted red. Near the figurine lay a vessel (fig. 79) of rough yellow 
pottery, unpainted and undecorated, with two small ear-like projec- 
tions just below the rim. No bones and no trace of human burial 
were found in the mound. 

1 This white lime wash, applied evenly to the entire surface, over which other colors were afterward 
painted, seems to have been used on all the more elaborate incensarios and on nearly all the clay figurines 
It is still employed by the modern Lacandones in the manufacture of their bmseros. (See Tozzer, A 
comparative Study of the Mayas and the Lacandones, p. 109.) 



132 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[BULL. C4 




Fig. 79.— Rough 
vessel found i 
No. 33. 



]> illcvy 
Mound 



Mound No. 34 

Mound No. 34, situated near Progreso, in the northern district of 
British Honduras, was 5 feet in height, roughly circular, and about 20 
feet in diameter at the base. The mound was built throughout of 
rough blocks of limestone, rubble, and earth. At the ground level, 
about the center of the mound, were fomid large flat unworked flags, 
which seemed to have formed the roof of a small cist that had caved 
in. Beneath these were found a few fragments 
of bone, which crumbled away as they were being 
removed, with a small spherical vase, of rough 
unpainted pottery, lh inches in diameter (pi. 
21, a). This was decorated on the outside with 
a human head wearing a peaked headdress, some- 
what resembling the cap of liberty,andlarge circu- 
lar ear plugs in the ears. Below the head pro- 
jected a pair of arms with the hands clasped in 
front, supporting between them a small pottery 
ball. Within this little vase, which was filled 
with earth and limestone dust, were found: (a) 
A small earthenware bead (fig. 80, a), (b) A 
small, very delicate obsidian knife, the tip of which is broken 
off, but which otherwise shows hardly any signs of use (fig. 80, b). (c) 
The terminal phalanx of a small and delicate finger, in a very fair 
state of preservation (fig. 80, c). The burial of a terminal phalanx of 
one of the fingers of the mother, with a favorite child, is not an un- 
known custom among semicivilized peoples, and it is possible that 
this little mound contains such an interment. The bones of the child 
being fragile and deficient in calcareous 
matter, may well have almost disap- 
peared, while the finger bone of the 
mother, being of more compact bony tis- 
sue, and protected to some extent by the 
vase in which it lay, has been preserved. 
The crudeness of the modeling of the little . 
vase and of the face and arms thereon 
would suggest that it may have been a 
plaything of the child during life, and 
even perhaps may have been modeled by its own hands. The 
obsidian knife may have been used by the mother to separate the bone 
at the last finger joint. The little figure which decorates the outside 
of this vase closely resembles those curious figures in a diving position, 
with arms pointed downward and feet upward, which are not uncom- 
mon in this area. Figure 81 shows one represented on the outside 
of a small vase; several are to be found, molded in stucco, on the 




Fig. 80.— Objects found in Mound No. 34. 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 133 



ruined buildings of Tuluum, on the eastern coast of Yucatan, just 
below the island of Cozumel, and they are occasionally, though rarely, 
found decora ting pottery incense burners, instead of the commoner 
representations of the Gods ltzamna and Cuculcan. Neither Landa, 
Vfllagutierre, nor Cogolludo mention the custom as practiced by 
Maya mothers or relatives on the deaths of their children. Had it 
been prevalent at the time of the conquest it seems hardly possible 
that such a practice could have escaped their notice; on the other 
hand, if the solitary phalanx had not been buried with the dead as a 
memorial, its presence under these circumstances is very difficult to 
explain. 

In nearly all extensive groups of mounds one or more middens, 
or refuse mounds, are to be found. The four mounds next described, 
though varying much from one 
another, are .all distinctly of this 
type. 

Mound No. 35 

Mound No. 35 was situated 
near the Cayo, on the Mopan 
River; it forms one of a group 
of about 30 mounds scattered 
over a considerable area. It 
was 12 feet in height and 
seemingly had been about 30 
feet in diameter, but situated 
as it was, immediately on 
the river bank, nearly half 
of it had been washed away 
by the floods of successive 
rainy seasons, leaving a clean 
section almost through the 
center of the mound, very favorable for observing its construction. 
The lowest layer, 1 to 2 inches in thickness, resting on the ground 
level, was composed of ashes mixed with fragments of charcoal; 
above this was a layer of earth and stones about 1 foot in thick- 
ness, and above this a further layer of ashes; and so on to the 
top of the mound — strata of ashes averaging 2 inches thick alter- 
nating with strata of earth averaging about 1 foot. No objects 
with the exception of a few potsherds were found in the earth 
layers, but the layers of ashes were rich in flint and obsidian 
chips, fragments of conch and snail shells, clay beads and mala- 
cates, potsherds in great variety and abundance, with the bones 
of the deer, gibnut, and peccary. It would seem that this mound 
had formed a sort of kitchen midden; that when a certain amount 




Fig. 81. — Figure in diving position on small vase. 



134 BUREAU OF AMERICAN" ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

of refuse had been deposited it was covered with a layer of earth, 
and that the mound must have been in use for a considerable 
time to have reached its present height. 

Small mounds containing considerable quantities of ashes and 
charcoal mixed with earth and stones, together with refuse material, 
as flint and obsidian chips, broken implements, potsherds, bones, 
shells, clay beads and malacates, and similar indestructible objects, are 
not of infrequent occurrence, and probably mark the sites of ancient 
kitchen middens. Two such mounds were found on the mainland, south 
of the island of Tamalcab, in Chetumal Bay, Yucatan, situated in what 
seemingly had been a village site, occupying an area of approximately 
20 acres. Great numbers of potsherds, fragments of pottery, images, 
beads, malacates, chips and broken implements of stone and obsidian, 
broken metates, fragments of conch and cockle shells, stone water- 
troughs, and other indestructible rubbish were found scattered in 
great profusion over the whole of this site. 

Mound No. 36 

Mound No. 36 was situated at Sarteneja, in the northern district 
of British Honduras, quite close to the seashore. This mound was 
2 feet 6 inches in height, about 12 feet in diameter; it was composed 
throughout of conch shells mingled with cockle and whelklike shells. 
Nothing except the shells was found in this mound, which forms one 
of a group of similar mounds, evidently dumping places used by 
each house, for the disposal of the shells of shellfish brought in from 
the reef by the fishermen after the fish had been extracted and eaten. 

Mound No. 37 

Mound No. 37, situated close to the next preceding mound 
on the seashore, at Sarteneja, is about 2 feet high by 12 to 15 feet in 
diameter. It is composed almost entirely of fragments of rather 
rough unpainted pottery and seemingly marks the site of a manu- 
factory of this class of ware, as great quantities of fragments are also 
to be found scattered in all directions around the mound. A small 
quantity of earth was mingled with the potsherds, but nothing else 
was found in the mound. 

Mound No. 38 

Mound No. 38, situated about 5 miles from Corozal, in the northern 
district of British Honduras, was 6 feet in height by 15 feet in diame- 
ter, with a flattened top. It was covered with a layer of humus and 
contained nothing but fragments of weathered stone, of sizes varying 



gann] 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



135 



from small rubble to blocks weighing 30 to 40 pounds. Similar 
mounds are found elsewhere, and are apparently merely heaps of 
stones, which have been picked up on the surface of the fields, as, un- 
like other momids, they contain no clay, limestone, or marl dust, mor- 
tar, or other binding material and 
no trace of burials or any object 
of human construction. 



^ 



% 



■'t 



iUC 



H\l>\ 





Mound No. 39 

Mound No. 39 was situated on 
Wild Cane Cay, a small island off 
the southern coast of British Hon- 
duras. The island seems to have 
been built up with stone and other 
material brought from the main- 
land and to have been used as 
a burial place. Several small 
moimds are scattered over the face 
of the island; unfortunately most 
of them had been dug down for the 
sake of the stone they contained 
and the objects from the graves 
lost or given away. Those which 
could be traced consisted chiefly 
of copper ornaments, as rings, gor- 
gets, and studs. Mound No. 39, 
the only one whose contents were 
ascertained with any degree of ac- 
curacy, was a small circular mound 
10 feet high, built of sand and 
blocks of reef stone ; near the ground 
level, about the center of the 
mound, a single human interment 
was found, the bones of which were in an advanced state of decay; 
mingled with these were: (a) A round red earthenware pot, con- 
taining a few small circular beads made from conch shell and five 
or six medium-sized, unused obsidian knives, (b) A second some- 
what larger pot, of the same shape and material, which contained 
the upper part of the femur of a deer, on which is incised the design 
shown in figure 82. This is neatly executed in shallow lines; 
the upper part evidently represents a tiger, or the skin of that 
animal, and is separated by a platted design from the lower, which 
may be intended as a representation of the God Itzamna. With 




Fig. 82. — Design incised on femur of deer found 
in Mound No. 39. 



136 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bui-l. 64 



the bone were two objects of copper, one a finger ring constructed 
of thin flat bands two-fifths inch apart, joined by double scrolls; 
this is very much worn, either from use or from oxidization, conse- 
quent on long exposure in the damp soil. The second copper 
object (fig. 83) was probably used as a gorget, or for attachment to 
a headdress, as at the back is seen a cruciform grille, evidently 
intended to hold it in place. This object is in the form of a human 
face, the lower part with its large mouth, thick prominent lips, and 
flattened nose, exhibiting marked negroid characteristics, which 
the upper part with its bulging prominent forehead contradicts. 
The headdress is ornamented with three spikes passing along the 
sagittal suture from front to back, while under the chin is a projec- 
tion probably intended to represent a short beard. The ring and 
ornament are both strongly suggestive of Spanish influence, as the 
face with its thick lips, flattened nose, and bulging 
forehead is totally unlike any type with which the 
Maya were likely to come in contact, unless, indeed, 
it were the Carib, who even at this early date had 
possibly formed small settlements as far north as the 
southern coast of British Honduras. If the objects 
were of Spanish origin they were probably obtained 
from some Spanish settlement farther north, possibly 
Bakhalal, as there was no settlement between that 
town and the coast of Guatemala till many years after 
the conquest. That the cult of Itzamna was still flour- 
ishing is shown by the effigy of the god incised on the 
deer bone, and according to Villagutierre, the In- 
dians of this neighborhood up to the end of the 
seventeenth century were closely allied to the Itzaex, 1 who still 
freely practiced their ancient religious rites. 

Mound No. 40 

Mound No. 40, situated near Pueblo Nuevo, on the Rio Hondo, 
consisted of a ridge about 10 feet high by 40 feet in length. On the 
summit of the ridge near its center, covered only by a layer of humus, 
was found a small rough three-legged vase 3 inches high, contain- 
ing a single long, polished, greenstone bead. The upper part of 
the ridge was found to consist of blocks of limestone, limestone dust, 
and rubble, on removing which to a depth of about 4 feet the ruins 
of a building were brought to light (fig. 84). The bones were in so 
poor a state of preservation that it was difficult to determine the exact 

1 Speaking of the boundaries of the territory of the Itzaex, Villagutierre (op. cit., p. 489), gives the sea 
as its eastern limit. All the tribes between the lagoon of Itza and the sea were evidently not subject to 
the Itzaex, however, as he mentions (Lib. IX, cap. in, p.. 554) a number of tribes inhabiting this area with 
whom they were at war, and states (Lib. vi, Cap. iv p. 352) that the Mopanes and Tipu Indians were not 
subject to the Canek of Itza. 




Fig. 83.— Copper ob- 
ject foundin Mound 
No. 39. 



gann1 



MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 



137 



position in which, the body had been placed at the time of burial; it 
had, however, certainly been fully extended. Close to the head were 
found fragments of three round bowls, all precisely similar in both 
size and coloring. Each was of the shape shown in figure 71 , b, Sh inches 
high by 6J inches in diameter, and was made of rather fine ash- 
colored pottery, finely polished. Each of these bowls before burial 
had had the bottom knocked out. The mound beneath the building 
was composed of blocks of limestone, rubble, and limestone dust, 
forming a tough, solid, compact mass. This would seem to hare been 
a small private house, not a temple, which (probably on account of the 
death of its owner) had been deliberately wrecked, and the owner's 
body buried beneath the cement floor of the one chamber remaining 
partially intact. Fresh cement seems to have been applied over the 




Fig. 84.— Ruins found in Mound No. 40. These consisted of broken-down walls about 2 feet high, joining 
each other at right angles. Of the wall A-B, 10 feet remained standing; of the wall B- C, 8 feet. The 
shaded space included between the walls was covered with hard smooth cement, which had been 
broken away to a rough edge at its outer border and was continuous at its inner border with the stucco 
which was still partly adherent to the walls. The walls themselves were built of blocks of limestone 
(squared on their outer surfaces but rough within), rubble, and mortar; they were nearly 2 feet thick. 
The long diameter of the ridge pcintod almost due east and west. An excavation was made in the 
cement floor, and at the depth of 18 inches, at the point marked D, a single interment was brought to 
light. 

grave before the greater part of the house was pulled down and the 
wreckage piled up, to form a capping to the mound upon which the 
house stood. 

Mound No. 41 

Mound No. 41 was situated in the northern district of British Hon- 
duras, about 9 miles from Corozal. It consisted of a circular wall or 
rampart varying from 4 to 10 feet in height, inclosing a space 30 
yards in diameter. The wall was built of earth and blocks of lime- 
stone, and in places had become considerably flattened out from the 
action of the heavy tropical rains of this region. To the north an 
opening or gap existed about 10 yards across. Excavations were 
made in the encircling wall of the inclosure, and also in the central 
space, but nothing except fragments of pottery was discovered. 



1,38 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 

Mounds of this kind are found throughout the area, though not in 
great numbers. Some of these are circular or horseshoe shaped, some 
crescentic, and others curved or even straight ridges. As a rule 
they contain nothing except a few potsherds, which would natu- 
rally be picked up with the earth of which most of them are made; 
in some, however (especially in the straight ridges), superficial inter- 
ments have been found. These mounds were probably used as forti- 
fications, the circular, horseshoe-shaped, and crescentic mounds 
being particularly well adapted to this purpose. 

At Yalloch, just across the Guatemala boundary line from Choro, 
a small village in the western district of British Honduras, the 
Alcalde made a remarkable discovery a few years ago. While hunt- 
ing for a gibnut he traced one to a hole in the ground ; on poking a 
stick into this hole, he was astonished on withdrawing it to find that 
he had brought out on its end a small painted pottery cylinder. 
The hole on being enlarged proved to be the entrance to a chultun, 
one of those curious underground chambers cut in the limestone rock 
found throughout Yucatan and the northern part of British Hon- 
duras, especially in the neighborhood of ruins. This chultun con- 
tained numbers of fragments of very finely painted and decorated 
pottery vases, together with two complete cylindrical vases, an ovoid 
vase, and a pottery cylinder without bottom. Some of these were 
within the chultun, some in a pit sunk in its floor, from which at a 
later date several pieces of beautifully decorated pottery were taken. 
The pit had evidently been used as a burial place, in which the 
memorial pottery was deposited with the body. Merwin found 
similar painted Maya vases some years later in a chamber covered 
by a mound, at Holmul, within a few miles of Yalloch, and at Platon, 
on the Mopan River, a sepulchral chultun was cleared out in which 
human bones still remained. (Pis. 23-28.) 

Near the point where Blue Creek or Rio Azul joins the Rio Hondo, 
in the northern district of British Honduras, is situated in the bush 
about 100 yards from the latter river a small circular lagoon, of a 
deep blue color and considerable depth; from this flows a narrow 
stream, also deep blue in color and highly impregnated with copper, 
which opens into the main river just below the mouth of the Rio 
Azul. The little lake is bounded on its eastern side by an almost 
perpendicular cliff of limestone, in which are several small caves 
and one large cave. The interior of one of the smallest of these 
caverns, situated near the base of the cliff, not more than a few 
yards in depth, was roughly hewn out so as to form shelves. Upon 
these were found several hundred small binequins of incense, vary- 
ing in size from 3 to 4 inches in length by 1 J to 2 inches in 
breadth, to 8 to 10 inches in length by 3 to 4 inches in breadth. 
The incense was composed of the gum of the white acacia mixed 



gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 139 

with various aromatic substances; when burned it gave off a very 
pleasant odor. The gum had evidently been poured while in a 
liquid state into small bags, made of palm leaves, as in some of 
the binequins considerable fragments of the palm leaves were still 
adherent to the copal, and in all, casts of the leaves were left on the 
soft surface of the gum before it solidified. The binequins which the 
present-day Maya Indians manufacture as receptacles for their home- 
made lime, though vastly larger, are precisely similar in shape, con- 
struction, and appearance to those their ancestors used as recep- 
tacles for copal. The entrance to the large cave was near the sum- 
mit of the cliff and so difficult to reach that it can never have been 
long used as a place of residence, though it would form an exceed- 
ingly strong position to hold against an attack from without, as it 
is necessary to cross a fallen tree trunk in order to enter, and this 
might easily be hauled back into the cave or pushed away from 
its mouth, leaving it practically inaccessible. Nothing was found 
in the cave except a large quantity of bats' excrement and of 
rough red potsherds. 






TWO PAINTED STUCCO FACES FROM UXMAL 

Two human faces molded in stucco and painted were discov- 
ered in a small stone-lined chamber situated beneath one of the 
end rooms of the Casa del Gobernador in the ruins of Uxmal, north- 
ern Yucatan. The room was accidentally disclosed by the caving 
in of a small part of its roof. One of its walls was covered, above a 
stone cornice, by a frieze of hieroglyphs, and against this wall stood 
a small square stone altar, each side of which had been decorated 
with a human figure molded in stucco and painted. Unfortunately 
these figures had fallen; the two heads here described are the best 
preserved parts of them which remain. Describing the sculpture in 
stone which adorns the outside of the Casa del Gobernador, Stevens 
ventures the opinion that some of the heads were portraits of cele- 
brated men of the period. 

The discovery of this chamber is extremely interesting, as it opens 
up the possibility that many, if not all, of these vast substructures, 
built apparently of solid stone, which throughout Yucatan support 
more or less ruined buildings, may in fact be honeycombed with 
chambers. Stevens first suggests the possibility of this. Unfortu- 
nately since Stevens's day little or nothing has been done throughout 
Yucatan in the way of excavation to verify the truth of his surmise. 

Of the two heads now described, one probably represents a male, 
the other a female; there is, moreover, a marked individuality about 
each of them which renders it extremely probable that they are 
portraits, possibly of some "Halach Uinic" (real man, or chief) of 
Uxmal and his wife, during the palmy days of the triple alliance. 

Each face is painted black with white circles round the orbital 
margin, red rims to the eyes, and brick-red oval patches at either 
angle of the mouth. The center of each upper lip is decorated by 
a figure 8 shaped labret, the lower portion of which has been broken 
away in the male head. Over the bridge of each nose is a curious 
ornament consisting of a small oblong object with rounded corners, 
held in place by a loop passing down the median line of the bridge. 
Over the center of the forehead in both faces hangs a pendant, that 
of the male composed of four small round beads, that of the female 
appearing as a rounded comblike excrescence. Traces of the head- 
dresses remain as a few feathers above each forehead. Both heads 
were probably held within widely distended animal jaws, as a part 
of the lower jaw is seen below the chin in the male head, where also 
140 



[bill. 64, gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN. AND BRITISH HONDURAS 141 

the large circular red ear plug still remains on the right side. The 
measurements of the faces are as follows: 

Male. — Top of headdress to bottom of lower jaw of animal head 
holding the face, llro inches; top of headdress to bottom of chin, 
9 to inches; forehead below headdress, to bottom of chin, 8^ inches; 
extreme breadth of face (midway between a transverse line passing 
through the pupils and one passing immediately beneath the lower 
margin of the nasal septum), 7yV inches; extreme breadth at level 
of the pupils, 7 inches; length of nose, 2 T % inches; breadth of nose, 
ly%- inches. 

Female. — Top of headdress to bottom of chin, 10^ inches; fore- 
head below headdress to bottom of chin, 8^%^ incb.es ; greatest breadth 
of face, at same level as the male, 7 1 s o inches; greatest breadth at 
the level of eyes, 7^ inches; length of nose, 2^ inches; breadth of 
nose, 1-n, inches. 

The city of Uxmal belongs to the later, or northern Maya, civili- 
zation. Unlike the earlier southern cities, Uxmal is without a single 
initial series date by which its age might be approximately deter- 
mined. It was founded by Achuitok Tutulxu, probably about' the 
year iOOO of the Christian era. In the "Series of Katuns from the 
Book of Chilam Balam of Mani" the date given is Katun 2 Ahau, 
whereas in that from Tizimin it is recorded as having taken place 
180 years later. 1 The cities of Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and Mayapan 
formed a triple alliance, which lasted for nearly 200 years, during 
probably the most prosperous period of the whole Maya rule in 
Yucatan. After the disruption of this alliance, caused by a quarrel 
between the rulers of Chichen Itza and Mayapan, Uxmal gradually 
declined in prosperity, till at the time of the conquest its temples and 
palaces seem to have been completely abandoned. The city was 
visited in 1586 by the Franciscan delegate Alonzo Ponce, one of 
whose companions gives an interesting account of the ruins. De- 
scribing the house of the governor, he says: 

Besides these four buildings there is on the south of them, distant from them about 
an arquebus shot, another very large building built on a "Mul " or hill made by hand, 
with abundance of buttresses on the corners made of massive carved stones. The 
ascent of this "mul" is made with difficulty, since the staircase by which the ascent 
is made is now almost destroyed. The building which is raised on this "mul" is of 
extraordinary sumptuousness and grandeur, and like the others very fine and beau- 
tiful. It has on its front, which faces the east, many figures and bodies of men and of 
shields, and of forms like the eagle which are found on the arms of the Mexicans, as 
well as of certain characters and letters which the Maya Indians used in old time — 
all carved with so great dexterity as surely to excite admiration. The other facade, 
which faces the west, showed the same carving, although more than half the carved 
part had fallen. The ends stood firm and whole with their four corners much carved 
in the round, like those of the other building below . . . The Indians do not know 

1 Brinton, The Maya Chronicles, p. 87. 



142 BUREAU OF AMERICAN" ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64, gann] 

surely who built these buildings or when they were built, though some of them did 
their best in trying to explain the matter, but in doing so showed foolish fancies and 
dreams, and nothing fitted into the facts or was satisfactory. The truth is that to-day 
the place is called Uxmal, and an intelligent old Indian declared to the father delegate 
that according to what the ancients had said it was known that it was more than nine 
hundred years since the buildings were built. 1 

From this account there appears to be little doubt that at the time 
of the conquest the great buildings of Uxmal were deserted and al- 
ready falling into ruins. In the minds of the Indians they were 
evidently associated with the practice of their ancient religious rites 
at a much later date, for one of the reasons given by the regidor when 
he applied for a grant of the land upon which the ruins stand was 
that— 

It would prevent the Indians in those places from worshipping the devil in the 
ancient buildings which are there, having in them idols to which they burn copal, 
and performing other detestable sacrifices as they are doing every day notoriously and 
publicly. 2 

The ruins of Uxmal were probably venerated by the Indians up to 
a very recent period, as in one of the chants used by the modern 
Maya of southern Yucatan in their "Cha chac" or rain ceremony the 
"Noh Nah ti Uxmal," ''Great house of Uxmal," is introduced, which 
possibly refers to the Casa del Gobernador, as tins is the largest build- 
ing among the ruins. 



'Relacion Breve, quoted by Spinden, A Study of Maya Art, pp. 7-S. 
5 Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, vol. I, p. 323. 




x& 1 1 * 



% 




■■ 




EXPLANATION OF PLATE 23 

The ovoid vase shown in plate 23 is 11 inches high by 6§ inches in diameter at 
its widest part. It is of very fine pottery, with decorations in red, black, and reddish 
yellow on a background of light yellow. The outer surface is divided by double 
black lines into three zones. The uppermost and narrowest zone contains, between a 
broad red band above and two narrow black bands below, a row of 10 glyphs surrounding 
the edge of the vase. The middle zone, the broadest, contains upon one side (un- 
fortunately the decoration upon the other side has been almost obliterated by time 
or wear) a human figure, in a crouching position, the right hand extended, the left 
resting upon the ground. The face is in profile, and around the left eye is seen the 
ornament usually associated with the representation of a god. This may be intended 
to represent Schellhas's God D of the Codices, known as the Roman-nosed God, 
probably Itzamna, as this peculiar eye ornament is often associated with him. The 
headdress is exceedingly elaborate, projecting far in front of and behind the head, 
and is decorated with plumes of feathers. The whole figure strongly suggests the 
bas-relief on the side of the door of the altar at Palenque, which is undoubtedly a 
representation of the god Itzamna. The curious eye ornaments, the construction of 
the elaborate headdress, the contour of the face, and the platted objects hanging 
down in front of and behind the chest, from the neck, are similar in both. The 
lowest zone is decorated with vases having handles at the sides, narrow necks, and 
flaring rims from which project flame-like tongues; on the outer surface of each is 
depicted an "Ahau" sign. The vases alternate with curious objects which might 
represent bales of merchandise; the whole, indeed, closely resembles the tribute 
count of some Aztec city. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE 2.4 

The cylindrical vase shown in plate 24 is 6 inches in diameter by 11 inches high. 
It is divided into three zones, the uppermost of which contains a single row of hiero- 
glyphics, in fair preservation, between a broad red band above and two narrow black 
bands below. The middle zone, by far the broadest, contains two very spirited repre- 
sentations of the Long-nosed God, one on each side of the vase, done in red, black, 
white, and dark yellow. The Long-nosed God, called by Schellhas in his ''Repre- 
sentation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts" God B, is usually identified with 
Cuculcan, the feathered serpent; the Aztec Quetzalcoatl. This god is usually repre- 
sented with a long pendulous nose and one or two projecting tusks, and is almost in 
variably associated with the serpent. The head of the god is often held between the 
serpent's open jaws, or has added to it a serpentine body; again the god may be en- 
circled by intertwining serpents, or may hold the reptile's body in his hand, like a 
wand. Though the serpentine attributes of the god are in this instance conspicuous 
by their absence, and the tapir attributes are emphasized, there can be little doubt 
that the painting is meant to represent God B, as the long pendulous nose and pro- 
jecting tusks are highly characteristic of that god. The lowest and narrowest zone of 
this vase is covered with alternating red and black lines. 







2 




EXPLANATION OF PLATE 25 

The cylindrical vase shown in plate 25 is 7i inches in height by 4| inches in diame- 
ter. The whole of the decoration upon it is in light and dark red on a light yellow 
background, and, like the two previously described vases, it is divided into three 
decorative zones. The uppermost zone contains a single row of glyphs, almost in- 
decipherable, apparently from constant use of the vase before it was buried. The 
middle zone contains two very remarkable mythological creatures, one on each side, 
whose feather-covered bodies, long legs, and large feet are suggestive of the ostrich. 
The necks are long and covered with flame-like projections, and both they and the 
heads, with their huge elongated jaws, are evidently intended for those of feathered 
serpents. The lowest zone of the vase is narrow, and contains only a narrow and a 
broad red stripe. 

70806°— 18— Bull. 64 10 






EXPLANATION OF PLATES 26, 27, AND 28 

The pottery cylinder shown in plates 26, 27, and 28 is 10 \ inches high by 4 inches 
in diameter and is without a bottom. It is most exquisitely decorated in light and 
dark red and dark yellow on a light yellow background, and is also divided into three 
decorative zones. The uppermost zone contains only a single row of hieroglyphs, 
very much defaced, among which may still be recognized several of the Maya day 
signs. The middle zone, by far the broadest, is covered by a most intricate design, 
containing human and mythological figures and hieroglyphs, with ornamental plumes, 
plats, and pendants; the whole, owing to the partial obliteration of the design, being 
extremely difficult to make out. On one side is seen a highly conventional representa- 
tion of what is undoubtedly intended for the feathered serpent, with tail bent around 
to join the upper part of the head. The feathered serpent appears to permeate all 
Maya art in this section of the Maya area; whether painted on pottery or stucco, or 
incised on bone, pottery, or other material, one encounters him at every step. The 
serpent rests upon a row of glyphs, very much defaced, and below this is a mass of 
bows, knots, plumes, and glyphs. Farther along is a fierce-faced human figure, 
probably a warrior, with lofty and elaborate headdress, ornamented with many 1< >ng 
feather plumes. Between the warrior and the serpent is a row of eight cartouches, 
superimposed one upon the other, each containing glyphs, a good deal defaced, among 
which the "Ahau" sign may still be clearly made out. The opening glyph in this 
panel may refer to the katun 8 Ahau. This katun can end in 8 Ahau only once in 
260 years, or twice in the ninth cycle, namely, on 9.0.0.0.0.8 Ahau, 3 Ceh, and on 
9.13.0.0.0.8 Ahau, 8 Uo; and it is reasonable to suppose that if this is a calendar record 
it refers to some date in the ninth cycle. Naranjo, the nearest ancient Maya city to 
Yalloch, was occupied for a period of approximately 12 katuns, or 240 years, 1 between 
9.7.10.0.0 and 9.19.10.0.0; if this glyph, therefore, refers to a katun ending in 8 Ahau 
in the ninth cycle, the date 9.13.0.0.0 is certainly indicated. 

i Morley, An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs, p. 15. 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 26 




POTTER/ CYLINDER FROM YALLOCH, GUATEMALA 
(OTHER VIEWS IN PLATES 27 AND 28) 



3UREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 27 




POTTERY CYLINDER FROM YALLOCH, GUATEMALA 
(OTHER VIEWS IN PLATES 26 AND 28) 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



BULLETIN 64 PLATE 28 







POTTERY CYLINDER FROM YALLOCH, GUATEMALA 
(OTHER VIEWS IN PLATES 26 AND 27) 



AUTHORITIES CITED 

Brinton, Daniel G. The Maya chronicles. Brinton's Library Aboriginal American 

Literature, vol. i. Phila. 1882. 
Charnay, Desire.' Voyage au Yucatan et au pays des Lacandons. La Tour du 

Monde, vol. xlvii, pp. 1-96; vol. xlviii, pp. 33-48. Paris, 1884. 
Cogolludo, Juan Lopez de. Historia de Yucathan. Madrid, 1688. 
Gann, Thomas. On exploration of two mounds in British Honduras. Proc. Soc. 

Ant. London, 2d ser., vol. xv, pp. 430-434. London, 1894-95. 
On the contents of some ancient mounds in Central America. Ibid., 2d ser., 

vol. xvi, pp. 308-317. London, 1896-97. 

Mounds in northern. Honduras. Nineteenth Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pt. 2, 



pp. 655-692. Washington, 1900. 
Joyce, Thomas A. Mexican archseology. New York, 1914. 
Landa, Diego de. Relation des choses de Yucatan. Texte Espagnol et traduction 

Francaise. Published by Brasseur de Bourbourg. Paris, 1864. 
Maler, Teobert. Researches in the central portion/of the Usumatsintla Valley. 

Pt. 2. Mem. Peabody Mus., vol. n, no. 2. Cambridge, 1903. 

Explorations in the Department of Peten, Guatemala. Mem. Peabody Mus., 

vol. iv, no. 2. Cambridge, 1908. 

Matjdslay, A. P. Explorations in Guatemala. Proc. Royal Geog. Soc, vol. v, no. 
4, pp. 185-204. London, 1883. 

Morley, Sylvanus Griswold. An introduction to the study of the Maya hiero- 
glyphs. Bull. 57, Bur. Amer. Ethn. Washington, 1915. 
[Relacion de la villa de Valladolid. Actas Cong. Int. Amer., Madrid, 1881. vol. n. 
Madrid, 1884. 

Relacion de los pueblos de Popola y Sinsimato y Samiol. Coleccion de documentos 
ineditos, relativos al descubrimiento , conquista y colonization de las posesiones Espanolas 
en America y Oceania. 2d ser., vol. xm. Madrid, 1900. 

Spinden, H. J. A study of Maya art. Mem. Peabody Mus., vol. vi. Cambridge, 
1913. 

Stephens, John L. Incidents of travel in Yucatan. Vols. i-ii. New York, 1843. 

Thomas, Cyrus. Day symbols of the Maya year. Sixteenth Rep. Bur. Amer. Ethn., 
pp. 205-264. Washington, 1897. 

Tozzer, Alfred M. A preliminary study of the prehistoric ruins of Nakum, Guate- 
mala. Mem. Peabody Mus., vol. v, no. 3. Cambridge, 1913. 

Comparative study of the Mayas and Lacandones. Pub. Archseol. Inst. Amer. 

New York, 1907. 

iVillagutierre, Juan de. Historia de la conquista de la provincia de el Itza . . . 
a las provincias de Yucatan. [Madrid], 1701. 

143 



INDEX 



' 



Page 
Agriculture, most important occupation of 

Indians 20 

Alcohol, effect on Indian temperament 34 

Amulets, worn by women 19 

Animals— 

Domestic, kept by ancient inhabitants ... 55 

kept for pets 25 

Arts of the ancients, fine examples dis- 
covered 53 

Baskets, making of 30 

Bleeding, favorite remedy 37 

Bones, measurements of 51 

Bristol Museum, objects from collection of. 13 
British Honduras, Northern, geographical 

description of 14 

British Museum, objects from collection of. . 13 

Candles, method of making 31 

Canoe 3— 

making of 28 

used for trading along rivers 29 

Ceremonies, the four principal 42 

Ceremony, Cha chac, at ripening of corn, 

description 42 

Charms worn by women 19 

Chief — 

power practically absolute 35 

rarely dies natural death 35 

strongest subchief usually succeeds 35 

Childbirth, methods of facilitating 38 

Children, love for and disposition of 33 

Chronology, three periods of Mayan civili- 
zation 58 

Cigarettes— 

making of 30 

smoked by women 17 

Cooking, native methods of 22 

Cooking utensils, description of 27 

Corn— 

harvesting and storing ol 20 

preparation of ground and planting of 20 

surplus sold or exchanged 20 

Corn husks, wrappers for cigarettes 30 

Corn plantation. See Milpa. 
"Cuhun ridges"— 

description of 14 

sites of ancient mounds 14 

sites of modern villages 14 

Death sentence, how executed 35 

Diet— 

description of 21 

maize staple article of, among ancient 

inhabitants 55 

Diseases — 

bleeding for 37 

eye trouble, remedy for 3S 

intestinal parasites 37 

malaria 36 

smallpox 37 

venereal 37 

whooping cough, remedy for 38 

Dress— 

ancient inhabitants 52 

ancient priests 52 

ancient warriors 52 



Dress— Continued. 

now principally English and American 

goods 19 

Drunkenness— 

curse of the Indians 34 

not considered a disgrace 34 

Flre, methods of making 22 

Fish— 

methods of catching 25 

varieties of 25 

Fishing — 

harpoomng at night 25 

methods of 25 

torch used in 25 

Food — 

animals used as, by ancient inhabitants. 55 
kind and method of eating modified by 
contact with more civilized communi- 
ties 22 

method of serving and eating 22 

preparation and serving of 21 

snakes used as 24 

turtles' eggs used as 24 

Fowls, use of, in Cha chac ceremony 45 

Furniture— 

description of 27 

hammocks conspicuous articles of 27 

Game— 

pursuit of 23 

traps used in capturing 24 

Game birds and animals— 

list of 24 

preparation and curing of, for future use. 21 

Games— 

of the ancient inhabitants 56 

played by adults and children 39 

Hammocks — 

conspicuous articles of furniture 27 

hiding places for "cooties" 27 

Headdresses— 

ancient warriers and priests 52 

animals carved in wood 52 

Henequen fiber — 

method of cleaning 30 

uses of 31 

Homes, not particular as to cleanliness of 16 

Hookworms, prevalent, due to earth-eating 

habits of children 37 

Houses — 

ancient, description of 53 

built with assistance of neighbors 26 

method of construction 26 

Hunting, torch used in 24 

Icaiche, estimate of population 13 

Immorality, brought about by cheapness of 

rum.. 33 

Indians, causes of early deaths 34 

Itzas, occupying western British Honduras. 13 

Liverpool Museum, objects from collection 

of 13 

Macapal— 

carried by children, causing bowlegs 16 

description of its use :.. 15 

habits acquired by constant carrying of. . 16 

145 



146 



INDEX 



Macapal— Continued. Page 

weighted with stones as counterpoise in 

traveling 16 

Machete, used as tool and weapon 28 

Malaria — 

chief scourge of Indians 36 

treated by sweating 36 

Marriage — 

age of • 32 

all degrees of racial mixture 34 

ceremony often delayed 33 

Maya women to Negro men common 33 

not legal among Santa Cruz unless per- 
formed by certain official 33 

obli gation somewhat loose 33 

usually by Catholic priest 33 

Massage, practiced by midwives 38 

Maya , progenitors of present inhabitants 15 

Medicine, list of plants used as 38 

Men— 

cruelty of, often in nature of reprisal 18 

dress of 18 

example of cruelty of master to servant. . 18 

have no desire to accumulate wealth 18 

mental characteristics of 17 

occupal ion of 1 i 

skillful in finding routes and in following 

tracks 18 

stoical in bearing pain 18 

Metate — 

superseded by hand mills 17 

use of 21 

Milpa— 

many fruits and vegetables grown in 20 

preparation of 20 

Moccasins, making of 19 

Mosquitoes, carriers of malaria 36 

Mounds — 

abundant on fertile soil 50 

classification of 49 

contents indicate physical appearance 

of ancient inhabitants 51 

manner of construction 65 

Museum of the American Indian, ob- 
jects from collection of 13 

Odor, peculiar 16 

Oils, for cooking and lighting 31 

Ornaments, worn by ancient inhabitants... 52 

"Pine ridges," description of 14 

Plants, list of, used as medicine 38 

Pottery — 

ancient, description of 54 

ancient, ornamentation of 54 

slight attempt at decoration 28 

Pottery making — 

exclusively by older women 28 

no polish, glaze, or paint applied 28 

rendered unnecessary by iron pots and 

earthenware 17 

Property', disposition of, at death 33 

Punishment 

fine, flogging, and death only methods of. 35 

for witchcraft or sorcery 36 

imprisonment as, unknown 35 



Page 
Religion— 

ancient inhabitants 56 

Catholic priests not permitted for many 

years 41 

Christianity a thin veneer 42 

four principal ceremonies 42 

human sacrifice by the ancient inhabi- 
tants 57 

Indian conception of 40 

native priests appointed 41 

Religious altars, draped and decorated. . . 28 
Rum— 

made locally 34 

women usually drink privately 34 

Sandals, worn by ancient inhabitants 52 

Santa Cruz tribe— 

emigration of 13 

estimate of population 13 

measurements of 15 

physical description of 15 

policy of extermination of, by Mexican 

Government 13 

Smallpox — 

terrible scourge 37 

treatment for, often disastrous 37 

Snakes used as food 24 

Spinning — 

method of 29 

no longer practiced 17 

universal among ancient women 55 

Spirits, belief in 40 

Superstition, "Santa Cruz" oracle 41 

Surgery, practice of 37 

Teeth, filed and filled with plugs' 51 

Tobacco— 

curing of 30 

vanilla leaves mixed with, to give flavor 

and fragrance 30 

Torch used in fishing 25 

Tortillas, preparation and cooking of 21 

Traps used in capturing game 24 

Turkey', use of, in Cha chac ceremony 45 

Villages— 

description of 32 

foreigners not permitted to reside in 32 

frequent changes of sites 27 

locations of, carefully concealed 32 

Weapons— 

defensive, of ancient inhabitants 53 

offensive, of ancient inhabitants 52 

Weaving — 

method of ■ 29 

no longer practiced 17 

Women— 

dress of 19 

in gala costume present attractive ap- 
pearance 16 

industrious workers 17 

j ewelry and ornaments worn by 19 

obscene and disgusting language used by. 16 

occupation of 17 

personal cleanliness of 16 

physically and mentally superior to men . 16 

social characteristics of - 16 

Yucatan, geographical description of 14 

Yucatecan tribes, immigration into north- 
ern British Honduras 13 



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